Polygamy, and the Prophet Muhammed.
a Proof of his Prophet HOOD AND testament to
the truth of his Message.
evidences, proofs and testimonies on the
message of the seal of the prophets and what he bought forth for the whole of
humankind
By : Muhammed Al-sayed Muhammed.
CONTENTS:
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Introduction
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2
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Guidance
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3
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Polygamy
In The Nations of the Past and Previous Legislatures.
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5
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The
Testimonies of noteworthy Western Scholars and Thinkers on the merits of what
the Messenger bought for the whole of humankind.
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6
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A
brief insight into the status of women before the message of Islam and after
it.
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7
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An
important point to note.
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8
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Why
did Quraysh not attack the Prophet (pbuh) from the angle of his multiple
marriages to eleven wives, when they knew full well the dangers they faced
from his message being embraced by the populous, from the destruction of
their power to humbling them in place of their pride?
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9
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Secondly:
Refutation of;
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10
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Thirdly:
A Refutation of;
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11
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Fourth:
A logical argument to contest those who throw doubt on the marriages of the
Prophet to eleven of his wives with whom he remained until his death leaving
nine of them behind.
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13
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Fifth,
the marriage of the Prophet to eleven wives, whilst only allowing the
believers to marry four, as a proof of his prophet hood and a confirmation of
the truthfulness of the message he bought from Allah.
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16
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The
Temporary Marriage a reprehensible act that Islam did not permit.
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17
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A
brief expose of the creed of those who practise ‘temporary marriage’.
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18
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Sixthly;
The marriage of the prophet to his eleven wives after surpassing fifty years
of age, and his living and nurturing them until death as a proof of his
Prophet hood and a testament to the Shareeah that he bought from unto Allah.
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20
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The wisdom of the Prophets (pbuh) marriages and the great benefits
that resulted in it.
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22
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Seventhly;
A description of the house of the Prophet as a proof of his prophet hood and
a testament of truth to his message.
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24
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Eighthly:
The Sacred Law that was sent to Muhammed (pbuh) and the allowance of its
adherers to marry up to four times as a proof of his prophet hood and a
testament to the truth of his message.
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26
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To
mention but a few of these great benefit that result from the practice of polygamy,
that the Prophet practiced and was practised in Arab society.
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27
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Ninthly:
The absolute obedience of the Prophet (pbuh) to the order of Allah in what
Allah permitted him to marry from the women, as a further proof of his
prophet hood and a confirmation of his message
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29
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Tenthly:
The Marriages of the Prophet (pbuh) was a test of the faith and resolve of
the believers from Almighty Allah.
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31
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The
noble characteristics of the Prophet as a husband.
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32
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A brief look at each
individual marriage of the Prophet and the wisdom and benefit of each blessed
union.
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34
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The Sermon on the
Farewell Pilgrimage yet another poof of his Prophet hood. And indications of
his inevitable death (pbuh).
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39
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The Verse: “Say (O Muhammad SAW):"I am not a new
thing among the Messengers (of Allah) (i.e. I am not the first Messenger)”
[Quran Chapter 46 Verse 9]
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41
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In
Conclusions;
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45
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An
Open Letter.
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46
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Introduction
All praises are due to
Allah Lord of the worlds, Originator of the heavens and the Earth, the Creator
of darkness and light, I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship
except Allah alone without ascribing any partners to him, and I testify that
Muhammed peace and blessings of Allah be upon him is his slave and messenger.
O’ Allah send your peace and blessing upon Muhammed the Prophet and seal of the
Prophets and Messengers, and peace and blessings be upon his wives and his purified
household and his blessed companions, and all those who were guided from his
guidance, and emulated his way, and followed his traditions till the Day of Judgement.
As to what follows;
Surely Allah glorified and
exalted be he is a defender of his Prophets, a protector of their lofty
stations amongst humankind, be that in their lives or after their deaths respectively.
Indeed Allah Almighty selected Muhammed peace and blessing of Allah be upon him
for particular safeguard against attacks aimed at him, owing to the great
opposition he encountered throughout the duration of his call to the religion
of Islam. This is further emphasised when one considers the false accusations
that arise from time to time from every mistaken misguider, whose aim is to harm
the foundational creed of Islam a creed that Allah Almighty chose as the
authentic creed for all of humankind to imbue.
This means that Allah’s
protection for Muhammed peace and blessing of Allah be upon him was in direct
opposition to the desires and wishes of those who were jealous of him and was
opposing to their individual benefit.
Indeed Allah Almighty
magnified the station of Muhammed (pbuh) the final of His Messengers and raised
him in rank above and beyond all of humankind, out of kindness and love for
him, decorating him with the qualities of leadership and outstanding mannerisms
that will not be replicated in any other human being.
This brief treatise comprises
the following:
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The wisdom of the Sharee’ah in recognising the natural
needs of men in relation to his inclination to women.
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Polygamy in the nations and peoples of old and their
differing legal systems.
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Testimonies of great western thinkers regarding what
the Messenger (pbuh) bought to the world.
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The position of women before the Prophet was sent and
after his Message.
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A refutation of the claims of some from the hypocrites
and their lies surrounding the reasons for the Prophet taking a number of wives.
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Proofs and testament to his prophet hood in his taking
of numerous wives.
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Some of the wisdoms and benefits that can be extracted
from his taking of multiple wives.
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Some of the wisdoms and great benefits that can be
extracted from the allowance of the Sharee’ah the concept of Polygyny.
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A warning from those who lay claim to Islam and what
their ideologies permit in false marriages, and that they are not to be used to
typify Islam.
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Some subtleties when looking objectively at the
prophet hood of the Messenger that testifies to the truth of the religion that
he bought.
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A short message of invitation
Guidance.
To begin with I wanted to
guide the reader in understanding the significance and wisdom of the Sharee’ah
in regards to this topic and it is as follows:
Islam with its upright code
of practice did not come to eradicate the desires of man and the natural
instinct that he was created with, but rather it came to guide and direct it to
what is right according to what Allah Almighty revealed and was pleased with
for his slaves.
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Indeed vices of all types were commonplace in all
societies non-more so the Arab society, and particularly sexual vices which
were widespread as was the drinking of alcohol, this was before the sending of
the Prophet with the enlightenment of Islam for the All-Knower the All wise.
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This is indicated by an anecdote that occurred after
the prohibition of Zinaa or fornication, it is narrated that a young man
approached the Prophet peace and blessings of Allah be upon him seeking
permission from him to commit the sin of fornication due to his inability to
abstain from it, and so the Messenger with a few wise words encouraged him to
leave it and then prayed for him for purity, no sooner did this young man leave
saying fornication is the most reviled thing to more after it had been the most
beloved! This narration indicates the level of which fornication had become
widespread.
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Likewise the drinking of alcohol was widespread,
before the sending of the messenger with the enlightenment of the Sharee’ah
that then prohibited this particular vice.
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The companions of the Messenger acting in accordance
with the prohibition started to banish this vice from themselves and their
households pouring it into the streets until it was as though there were rivers
of alcohol flowing in Madinah. This again indicates the nature of how
widespread alcohol had become before the sending of the Messenger.
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So the rulings of Islam came as a mercy to humankind
and called to everything that is for the betterment of a healthy society built
upon the wholesome righteousness of a divine methodology that Allah glorified
and praised is he is pleased with, and with which he sent his Messenger.
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The Prophet did
not order people with celibacy, nor did he seek to eradicate the desires that
are natural in humankind nor did he encourage this.
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Neither did he peace and blessing of Allah be upon him
discourage living with women, or prohibit marrying them but rather he
prohibited these forms of extremes.
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But at the same time, he also did not permit that a
human allow himself to become overwhelmed by his desires allowing it to dictate
and doing according to it, making the human bestial and animalistic, instead he
prohibited this and was vehement in his prohibitions.
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However the Messenger of Allah came with the best of
all Sharee’ah from Allah for the entirety of humankind in all times and places
until the Last Hour, Guiding the desires of people to what is straight and
proper with no crookedness in accordance with what Allah decreed and was
pleased with and so this is a proof from amongst his proofs.
A human’s natural
disposition requires:
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That a man does not live and exist by himself instead
he is in need of a women and is inclined towards her, and likewise a women does
not live and exist by herself and she is in need of a man and is inclined
towards him.
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And with that natural inclination marriages occur
between them and offspring are sprout forth, and likewise in all of Allah’s
other creatures in testament to what he said:
And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among
yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and
mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect. [Quran
Chapter 30 Verse 21]
So fulfilling the meaning of what Allah said:
‘He who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in
deed’ [Quran Chapter 67 Verse 2]
All of Allah’s creation is therefore in need of mating and procreating,
and so this is another proof of Allah’s oneness and unity, and that is only for
him glorified and exalted be he.
Allah is the Creator and Determiner for him is the most Beautiful names
and lofty attributes and there is none similar to him.
He is The First without a beginning and so nothing preceded him, and he
is the last without an end and nothing superseded him.
And so it becomes clear the wisdom of the Sharee’ah of Islam that was
brought by Muhammed peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, in adopting the
institution of marriage as a means of cohabiting between men and women
(provided all the Islamic prerequisites and conditions are met) and as a means
to procreate for humankind, is yet another proof of Allah’s oneness and unity
and the wisdom in his decree for people who reflect.
Affirming what Allah said:
‘Say: He is Allah, the One and Only Allah, the
Eternal, Absolute; He
begetteth not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him.’ [Quran
Chapter 112]
*****
Polygamy In The Nations of the Past and Previous Legislatures.
If one poses the question, is
Islam the first to legislate polygyny?
The answer will as we shall
see, be no!
Jewish Law
Jewish law permitted
polygamy without limit and it is well known that the Prophets of the Torah had
many many wives, and so we find that polygyny is permissible according to them
and narrated from their prophets themselves.
Christian Law
There cannot be found a
definitive scriptural prohibition of polygyny in the New Testament, but one
finds in the Christians of the first generations those who permitted the
practice of polygyny being specific to certain places and particular
circumstances. It is historically proven that some of these early generation
Christians married more than one woman, this fact is confirmed by:
[Wester Mark] A scholar of
the History of Marriage who says:
“Polygyny with the
acknowledgement of the Church remained until the 17th century and it
manifested itself in situations that were too enumerate to count both for the
Church and the Country”. He also said, “some of the Christian kings and
monarchs would marry more than one”.
Some of the denominations
among the Christians even make obligatory the marrying of more then one wife.
So in Christian law there
is no definitive text that prohibits its followers of marrying two or even
multiple wives, but the leaders of their earlier generations found it
sufficient to be married to one wife to protect the family coherence, and this
is most manifest in the Roman Empire from their interpretation of their book
the New Testament the verses related to Polygamy to the point it became
prohibited to marry other than a single women, this is something not strange at
all as it is well know the New Testament was distorted and entirely lost due to
the changes that were made to it as was the Torah before it.
In the year 1947 A
consultation Conference on the issue of Polygamy in Munich Germany seeking solutions
to the problem of the population of women who outnumbered their male
counterparts many folds after Germany had incurred huge losses to their male
population after two World Wars. After much discussion the solution the found
most suitable was to legalise polygyny to solve the imbalance.
And in 1949 Ahaly Bourn
Germany raised the issue of the legalisation of polygyny and the introduction
of it into German Law.
It was also widely reported
in the press that the German government sought clarification from Al-Azhar
Egypt in how to manage polygyny and saw it as a solution to the problem of
increased numbers of females in their population.
As for the issue of
polygyny in the Ancient societies one finds it prevalent in all of them more or
less in some form or another, from the Ancient Athenians, the Chinese, the
Ancient Hindus and the Babylonians, even to the Assyrians and Ancient Egyptian.
Islam came and approved the
practice of polygyny according to the rules that govern it for what lies in it
in great wisdom and benefit both to the individual and the society.
So this again is an evident
proof to the prophet hood of the Messenger Muhammed peace and blessing of Allah
be upon him, and the truth of the message he was sent with.
*****
The Testimonies of noteworthy Western Scholars
and Thinkers on the merits of what the Messenger bought for the whole of
humankind.
Many works on Sociology and
many of the west’s great thinkers testified to the Law that Muhammed peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him bought, recognizing the many benefits that lie
in the practice of polygyny. Some even encouraging the practice and calling for
it.
Here are a few of their
quotes:
(1) Gustav Loboon in his book
The Civilisation of the Arabs
“ The practice of polygyny
in the East a good practice, it raises the moral statue of those societies that
practice it, it bring closer families and gives the women a dignity and
happiness that we do not see in Europe.
(2) The great German
philosopher Shorbinhour in his treatise A Word on Women
“The European Laws of
marriage are wrong foundationally in making women equal to men. Limiting men to
one wife thus taking away half of our right, weakening us from our
responsibilities……and you will not find women in the societies that permit
polygyny except they are married and looked after, and the married amongst us
are few and those that are single are many, you see them without anyone to take
care of them from virgins in the upper classes who have aged in despair, to
weaker souls from the lower classes incurring great difficulties feeling spent
and miserable, living in shame and despair. And in the city of London alone
there are no less than eighty thousand prostitutes spilling the blood of their
honour in the name of marriage. These are from the sacrifices of limiting
ourselves to one wife, and the results are affecting the women of Europe,
leaving her to answer her needs in reprehensible ways. Therefore we need to
count polygyny as a real alternative for women in a family.
(3) Anne Beranette in her book
The religions of India:
“When we weigh up the
issues with absolute objectivity we find that the practice of polygyny in Islam
is one that protects and shelters feeds and clothes women is much better in the
balance of things then the western prostitution of women that allows for a man
to take a women for the sole purpose of sexual gratification then discarding
her into the street when he is done with her.
And one finds other then
these in the appraisals of western thinkers who are not Muslims themselves who
recognise the great benefits there are to the practice of polygyny in Islam to
both the individual and the society as a whole.
*****
A brief insight into the status of women before
the message of Islam and after it.
It is important to note the
status of women before the message of Islam if indeed women enjoyed any status
at all before the onset of Islam and after it.
Pre-Islam
The status of women before
the onset of Islam was one where she was subjugated and despised she did not have
any status whatsoever that is worth mentioning, this is indicated by the
following:
(1) Women did not inherit
regardless of their status being a daughter a wife nor a mother meant she had a
rights to inherit from her male counterparts.
(2) The widespread practice of
infanticide was prevalent in the Days of Ignorance, to the point that a
daughter was seen as a great shame so great that they would be unable to accept
it and would bury their daughters alive, with no sorrow or regret. This is
further illustrated by a famous stereotype that was well known in the Days of
Ignorance pre-Islam
“A women: - her victory is screaming and piety to her
farther is stealing”
The meaning of which is if she tried to assist her
brother, farther, or husband she can only scream and if she sought to be obedient
to her farther she can only steal from her husband.
This is from those reprehensible things that Islam
came to banish that women were struggling with from the moment of birth through
to wedlock and till death in the days of Ignorance before Islam.
(3) The refusal of women from
eating from the sacrificial animal was another means which demonstrates her
lowly status in the pre-Islamic era, something Islam would later rectify.
(4) The contempt with which
they were treated when menstruating and the distancing away from them during
this period is another demonstration.
And one finds many other
methods deployed in the subjugation of women during this pre-Islamic period.
After the onset of Islam:
One finds that Islam came
and rectified much of what was wrong with pre-Islamic attitudes toward women,
guaranteeing her all her rights which were unavailable to her previously,
raising her status to lofty heights, examples of theses are:
(1) Islam guaranteed women a
portion of the inheritance taken her full due, regardless of her age, young or
old.
(2) Islam also came with a
complete outlaw of the practice of female Infanticide, recognising the
preciousness of every individual soul. The Prophet Muhammed even stated that
the one who was given a girl and raised her well, then this would be a shield
for him on the Day of Judgement.
(3) Women were given equal
rights and share of the sacrificial animal that was previously prohibited for
them.
(4) Islam also guided men into
dispelling any notion of staying away from women during their menstruation,
allowing them to enjoy each other in light of everything that the religion
permitted them except sexual intercourse, for what lies in it in harm that has
been scientifically proven. This being another proof of the truth of Muhammed
and the message that he bought.
(5) From the teaching that
Islam bought was the recognition of the rights of wives upon their husbands to
live harmoniously without the fear of oppression and in mutual dignity.
(6) From the teaching of the prophet Muhammed was
the lofty station that belong to the mother in particular, giving her a raised
status, prohibiting her disobedience, commanding that she is treated with piety
and informing that this will lead to the pleasure of Allah, and that
disobedience of the mother in particular leads to the wrath of Allah and a
torrid life and hereafter for the one who is guilty of it.
Like these there are many other example of Islam and
the prophet of Islam recognising and raising the status of women irrespective
of whether she is a daughter a wife or a mother, so peace and blessing be upon
Muhammed the one who brought this great example to follow for all of humankind.
*****
An important point to note.
What every objective person
should note is that if it is the case that the prophets marriage to eleven
women nine of whom outlived him, was to be opposed by anyone then the tribe of
Quraysh who were his foremost enemies and enemies to his cause were at the
forefront of this most personal of attacks, using at their disposal all types
of fabrications and lies against him.
The main focus of their
attacks can be reduced to just two main points:
(1) The concept that the
Prophet took for himself a fifth wife whilst only allowing for all others to
take four simultaneously, with the fifth only being permitted upon the death of
the fourth of her subsequent divorce.
(2) The concept of the Prophet
marrying the wife of his previously adopted son Zaid before he received the
revelation, and before the prohibition of considering adopted children, as
though they were ones own, as the tribe of Quraysh considered marrying the wife
of ones child from the most illicit of all acts.
A refutations of their attacks will follow soon but
first we must seek to understand why they Quraysh, would be so vehement in
their attacks of him. One must consider that Quraysh would utilise every
opportunity to attack him, because of his disregard of their idols and statues,
and even more the contempt with which he spoke of those who worshipped those
idols.
With that in mind we see with absolute certainty the
motivations of Quraysh become clear, as the first and foremost enemy to Islam
and its Prophet, they were the first to prosper from any destruction of the
religion of Islam, this is reflected in the ferocity with which they plotted
and attacked him, setting the precedent that was to be followed by the
Orientalists and Jews and Christians, in explaining the reasoning of his
marriages to his eleven wives. Claiming that his marriages was only for the
purpose of his own personal sexual gratification may Allah destroy them.
Their goals were only to harm the messenger and his
message.
The hatred was a result of the great jealousy they
felt toward the great Prophet of the last days the one who had been foretold of
in the Torah and the New Testament before its many alterations. They had been
waiting for this Prophet but rejected him when they the Jews saw he was not
from them rather he was from their brethren the Arabs, in fact the Jews of
Madinah had proclaimed the imminence of a Prophet being sent to them with whom
they would fight. So when eventually it became clear he was sent amongst the
Arab this caused them much despair and resulted in them rejecting him, but the
people of Madinah had already heard their words and quickly became from those
who accepted the Prophet into their hearts and eventually into their city. As
for the Jews they only increased in their hatred of the Messenger and because
of their pride they rejected him despite what they knew from the truth of his
prophet hood.
From this we see that everyone who seeks with a pure
heart to follow the truth, and does not follow his desires looking at the issue
objectively without allowing himself to be deluded by others can only come to
the recognition of Muhammed as a true Prophet and follow his teachings.
And the best testimony to that fact is the thousand
and millions who have embraced the religions and teaching of the messenger and
the seal of all the Prophets.
We see continuously more and more people embracing
Islam especially from intellectuals who have seen first hand the truthfulness
of the message of the Quran that was revealed upon Muhammed in informing upon
thing that were previously in the realms of the unknown. Moreover we see the
confirmation of scientific miracles in the Quran that was previously unknown
and only recently discovered because of advances in science and technology.
And so Islam is in its ascent and has survived the
tests of time when other religions are in decline, is yet another proof that it
is Allah’s chosen religion for humankind and Muhammed is his chosen Prophet who
was sent as a mercy for all of humankind.
*****
Why did Quraysh not attack
the Prophet (pbuh) from the angle of his multiple marriages to eleven wives,
when they knew full well the dangers they faced from his message being embraced
by the populous, from the destruction of their power to humbling them in place
of their pride?
Answer: whilst it is true that Quraysh were the first and
most ferocious enemy to the Prophet and what he was calling to in the worship
of One God, without associating any partners with him.
Despite Quraysh’s knowledge of the truthfulness of
Muhammed and the truth of his message they refused to humble themselves to his
worship and to his revelation as it was in opposition to their desires and they
pride.
So they started in their attempts to extinguish the
light that he bought with his message torturing those who believed in his call.
Despite all of their attempts and the degree of their
enmity it was widely know that the Messenger of Allah had numerous wives but
there are no reports of Quraysh ever attacking him in the fashion that his
spiteful enemies are attacking him with more recently, this is because of a
number of reasons:
(1) The concept of polygamy was
not something new to the Arabs, instead it was something that was considered
the norm and was widespread amongst them.
(2) Polygamy was also
considered amongst them something praiseworthy; it was an indication of ones
manhood and responsibility that he would bear all of his women and all of their
costs.
(3) It was also well known that
not everyone was able to take more then one wife, and it was often the preserve
of the most rich and elite in the society who would do it.
Sometimes you would find
that a single man had many wives at the same time and rather then anyone blaming
him for that he was held in high esteem.
It was the case that some
of the Messengers own companions had more then four wives before their
accepting Islam at which point they would keep four of them.
This is why the Messenger
of Allah’s marriage to many wives was something the considered praise worthy
according to their own standards in regards to polygamy.
This is why Quraysh did not
attack the messenger in a personal fashion.
However it has become
common place for those seeking to attack Islam to attack the very personality
and person of Muhammed declaring their war not only him but all of his
followers, in order to destroy his message and his religion, but this path will
only lead to humiliation and regret for all those who take it.
Allah has promised that he
has taken it on himself to protect his prophet against all of his enemies, and
that he will ruin all of their plots and he will aid his religion and establish
his Shareeah and people will enter his religion in crowds even if the
disbelievers may hate it.
*****
Secondly: Refutation of;
a) What the hypocrites claim
regarding the Messengers fifth wife whilst prohibiting the Muslims from
exceeding more then four women.
The hypocrites and others from the Jews etc. spread
their lies surrounding the Prophet’s taken for himself eleven wives whilst
limiting to only four wives for the rest of the Muslims arguing that there is a
discrepancy in what he allowed for himself whilst limiting the rest of the
Muslims.
We will now refute some of their false claims briefly
as what follows will be a more detailed refutation, we will mention our
unshakable proofs that cannot be rejected except by one who has gone astray,
seeking in this clarification to make manifest the truth and to diminish
falsehood.
The hypocrites and those who joined them from the Jews
started their assault on the Prophet from the onset of his marriage to Zainab
Bint Jahsh may Allah be pleased with her, who was the fifth wife of the Prophet
after the death of both Khadijah and Zianab Bint Khuzymah who was also known as
‘ Umm al-Masaakeen’ or mother of the poor because of her concern for them.
1) Firstly one should
recognise that the marriage of the Prophet to the number he married was a
dispensation specific only to him, it and not permitted for anyone after him.
This is similar to his continual fast that he prohibited the believers from
trying to enact because of its difficulty.
2) There are from the Prophets
that came before him who had married
numerous times, like the Prophet Dawud (David) who had with him a hundred free
women, or the Prophet Sulayman (Solomon)
who had been given Kingship and prophet hood by Allah.
3) One should also consider
the great lessons and wisdoms that can be derived from the Messenger of Allah
many marriages.
4) The Prophet by marrying the
number of times he married was following the path set for him by Allah in
accordance with his commandments, and was not the least bit concerned with the
false accusations thrown at him from his ignorant detractors. He had an
unwavering belief in the aid and assistance of Allah for his message and that
Allah would make it victorious, as he had not spoken from his desire he had
only implemented what was revealed to him.
So one should also note that if it were the case that
he was merely falsely claiming Prophet hood he could have, succumbed to their
accusations by legislating what he and they wanted according to their desires,
he could have taken a path that would appease his enemies. He could have
permitted for the believers to take more than just the four wives. He could in
theory have even allowed marrying any number of women, and he would have been
assisted in that by:
1) The fact that Polygamy was
the prevailing norm in Arab culture and was not something new to them.
2) In fact the taking of more
then one wife was something considered praiseworthy and was indicative of
strength and masculinity.
Nonetheless it would have
been impossible and unthinkable for him (PBUH) to take any path but the one
that Allah had designated for him. So it is clear that the Prophet was only
following the commands that Allah had commanded fearless of what blame would be
attributed to him that is yet a further sign of his Prophet hood and the truth
of his Message.
*******
Thirdly: A refutation of;
The claims of the
hypocrites surrounding the marriage between the Prophet and the divorced wife
of his adopted son Zaid, as the Arabs considered this a most abhorrent act.
Firstly one needs to
understand the following.
1) What is “Adoption”
according to the Arabs
2) Evils and harms that are
associated with this form of adoption
By clarifying these points
the wisdom of Islam and its sacred law will become clear along with the reason
for its prohibition.
1) Adoption is the process by
which a man claims a son for himself that he did not farther this son then
becomes like his biological son in the rights that are due to him and the
responsibilities that are upon him.
The harms that result from
adoption.
a) It leads to confusion of
the real identity of a person, and lead a person to be at a loss of who he
really is.
b) It leads to people losing their
right to inherit, as the adopted son can lay claim to an inheritance that is
not due to him. Allah wanted to reinstate the right of everyone who is rightly
deserving and confirming this Allah said:
“But
kindred by blood are nearer to one another regarding inheritance in the decree
ordained by Allâh.” [Quran Chapter 8 Verse
75]
c) It resulted in the
restriction of the Muslims in marrying the divorced wives of their adopted
sons, as they were treated like their actual sons. And likewise many other
harms.
The Prophet had adopted
Zaid Ibn Haritha may Allah be pleased with him, this after the Prophet had
freed him from slavery dignifying and honouring him, and was beloved to the
Prophet, the Prophet would call Usama the son of Zaid ‘The beloved son of the
beloved’. Before Allah prohibited the practice, it used to be said Zaid the son
of Muhammed.
The Prophet even married
Zaid to his cousin Zainab Bint Jahsh Al-Usdiyyah the mother of whom is Umaymah
bint Abdul Muattalib.
Zainab remained with Zaid
for a year or more before they faced difficulty in their marriage. When Zaid
came to complain to the Prophet he said to him “hold on to you wife and fear
Allah!” [Saheeh Muslim]
Then a short time later
they were separated.
After this the command came
from Allah to the Messenger of Allah for him to marry Zainab who was previously
married to Zaid his adopted son before he divorced her, this was to destroy the
practice of adoption that was so deeply rooted in the Arab mindset.
Zainab would compare
herself with the Prophets other wives and say “ you were all married by your
families as for me I was married to the Prophet by Allah from above seven
heavens”.
And so it was from the
wisdom of Allah’s decree to his messenger to marry Zainab thus abolishing the
practice of adoption that was so deep rooted amongst the Arab, so prohibiting a
practise that had so many harms. Even more important when one considers that
there will be no Shareeah after that which the Prophet (PBUH) bought. This
requires that this Shareeah is a complete one, with nothing missing not even
the slightest thing that would bring benefit to human kind and is in their best
interest. Allah the Exalted said: “There
is no blame on the Prophet (pbuh) in that which Allâh has made legal for him. That
has been Allah's Way with those who have passed away of (the Prophets of) old.
And the Command of Allâh is a decree determined. ” [Quran Chapter 33 Verse 38] meaning there is no difficulty that should be
felt by the Prophet in what Allah made permissible for him in marrying Zainab
the previously divorced wife of Zaid his adopted son. There is also an
indication of how Allah ruled over his previous Prophets and Messengers, as
Allah never ordered them with something that bought difficulty on them.
What we have shown here is
a refutation of the notion proposed by the hypocrites that there was anything
untoward or inappropriate about the marriage of the prophet to Zainab nor
anything in it to detract from his message.
So the command of Allah was
fulfilled and it occurred and none can say otherwise nor can anyone change it
and whatever Allah willed took place and whatever he does not will cannot
happen.
It is therefore
praiseworthy of Islam that it bought about the end of this reprehensible
custom, after it had become accepted and rooted among the Arabs.
This prohibition resulted
in;
1) The protection of the
identities of people and their lineage from being lost of distorted.
2) The protection of the
rights of those who are legitimate inheritors to inherit, it also meant the
reinstating of the rights of all those who rightfully deserve it as Allah said :
“But kindred by blood are nearer to one another
regarding inheritance in the decree ordained by Allâh.” [Quran Chapter 8 Verse 75]
3) The lifting of any
difficulty that resulted from the restriction of marrying the divorced wife of
ones adopted son, in obedience to the command of Allah “so that (in future) there may be no difficulty to
the believers in respect of (the marriage of) the wives of their adopted sons
when the latter have no desire to keep them (i.e. they have divorced them). And
Allâh's Command must be fulfilled.”
[Quran Chapter 33 Verse 37]
So the blessed union
between the Messenger of Allah and Zainab (may Allah be pleased with her) was a
confirmation of his prophet hood and a proof of the authenticity of the Sacred
Law that was revealed to him from Allah.
*****
Fourth: A logical argument to contest those who
throw doubt on the marriages of the Prophet to eleven of his wives with whom he
remained until his death leaving nine of them behind.
To begin with before
delving any further one should ask;
Is it a prerequisite of any
given Prophet of Allah that they marry multiple wives and, is the truth of
their messages conditional on that?
The answer is of course no!
As it is well know there
are Prophets who did not marry at all like the Prophets Yahya and Eesa (Jesus).
Moreover there are some
prophets who married many a women, like the Prophet Dawud (David) who had a
hundred free women and similarly the Prophet Sulayman (Solomon) who Allah had
given kingship and prophet hood and he was singled out for that honour. The
Prophet of Allah in generality have things that are specific to themselves
alone, none more specific then being recipient of his books and like in the
case of Musa (Moses) who was chosen by Allah and was given the honour of
speaking with him. Similarly the miraculous birth of Eesa (Jesus) without a
father, and the miracle of the Prophet and his ascension through the heavens
where he saw from amongst the greatest of Allah’s signs, he was selected for
that most special of honours.
Therefore we cannot use the
marriage of a Prophet or multiple marriage of a Prophet s a reason to doubt his
prophet hood, especially in the example of the Prophet Muhammed peace be upon
him who’s teaching exemplifies;
1) A sound creed; that is
complete and perfect calling to the oneness of Allah and his lordship, that he
Allah alone is the Creator and Provider and that he is the only one deserving
of worship without any other association, no son that is attributed to him nor
wife, and that Allah Almighty is free from any imperfections and everything
that does not befit His names and attributes, and that his names are the
epitome of absolute perfection, and that there is none like unto him. A creed
free from any lies a pure and transparent creed that does not have any
cloudiness in it.
2) A just and upright Sacred
law; that enjoins everything that is good and encourages it like the justice
and tying the bonds of kinship, a Law that prohibits every evil and discourages
it like oppressions and all illicit acts.
3) A noble teaching.
Principled in good behaviour and etiquettes that are the most high, raising
both individual and society to a higher level of sophistication and
civilisation.
4) Acts of worship that
enrich; with sole dedication to Allah alone, not for showing off, or hypocrisy
or seeking recognition, nor associating any partners with him. Not worship that
entails celibacy but rather a middle way that genders harmony between the
worldly and the sacred, acts of worship that lead to the straight path.
5) Governed transactions;
built upon the principles of wholesome goodness between all people without
oppression and discrimination at any of its levels.
6) A noble lineage and
honourable status; a further proof that Allah Almighty chose him for prophet
hood.
7) A lofty moral code and
exemplary mannerism’s; his characteristics were of the highest nature like
trustworthiness, so he was ideal as an example for those who follow him and
believe in him to emulate his ways in all his affairs.
8) His eagerness to hasten to
be the first to do what he was commanding others to do from acts of worship to
daily transactions applying the Sacred Law that he bought from Allah, thus
becoming the best example to follow.
9) Miracles; that were given
to him by Allah to strengthen and support his call, miracles that none other
then a prophet can bring forth, and so becoming the most unequivocal proof to
the truth of his prophet hood.
So overwhelming are these
proofs that one has no option but to recognise him and believe in him and
follow his way, recognising that everything he said or done was inspired by the
revelation that bought enlightenment to all those who believed in it and
implemented all the commands of Allah and in that there is great wisdom and
benefit even if some of it or all of it escapes some.
Further evidence is found
in the reality that Allah Almighty did not dress the people in his religion in compulsion,
nor did he waste away their efforts by rejecting them nor did he leave them in
confusion or conjecture in their religious affairs, rather he sent a light more
bright than the light of the sun in the middle of the day and as for falsehood
then it is the blackest of all darkness.
We find that huge crowds of
people answer the call of the Prophet (pbuh) first and foremost his companions,
this after they had witnessed the signs of his prophet hood and miracle that
came with him none more great then the Holy Qur’an itself. This left no weapon
for those who possessed hatred for the Prophet to attack him with nor because of the
clarity of his message could they pose the question to them why do you believe
in Muhammed?
So the Accursed Jews of
that time despite being ‘People of The Book’ through Allah sending of the
Prophet Musa (Moses) to them with the Torah, continued in allowing their arrogance to prevail. Despite Musa
(pbuh) having foretold the coming of the Prophet of End Times, this knowledge
that they possessed was then transmitted to the Arabs from them the Jews, as
they had been certain of the imminent
arrival of the Prophet of End Times, announcing his arrival and thinking
that he would be from them the Jewry, so when eventually the Prophet (pbuh) did
arrive after migrating to Madinah from Mecca the people of Madinah understood
knew this confirmed what the Jews had been saying concerning his appearance. So
they hastened competing with one another in believing in him.
It would have been more
befitting of the Jews that they are the ones who hastened toward him as they
had been given the revelation and many prophets were sent to the Israelites
informing of his coming. The Arabs on the other hand had all but lost the
remnants of the teachings of Ibrahim (Abraham) and had taken idols and stones
as gods besides Allah. This show the great wisdom of Allah, as the Jews had
been well known for killing the prophets sent to them belying them and throwing
false accusations at them, even changing their scriptures adding and
subtracting as they pleased according to their desires.
Instead Allah Almighty
willed that that he Muhammed be sent to an illiterate people amongst whom
ignorance had prevailed in all spheres of life where all manners of evil and
vices where widespread to lift them from this darkness to the heights of
knowledge and worship, and pure monotheism to Allah built upon the foundation
of goodness and generosity, enabling the
Muslims followers of the tradition of Muhammed to reach levels of great
distinction when they held firm to the teachings and message of the Prophet
peace be upon him.
So the resolve of the Jews
grew stronger and the rancour and animosity to the prophet even greater set
about convincing Quraysh that the religion of Idolatry and Polytheism was the
religion of their forefathers and that this religion was far better then the
religion that Muhammed was calling to, the worship of one God and the
abandonment of the ways of their forefathers, he called to worshipping Allah
alone without associating any partners with him. They done this by answering
the questions of Quraysh when they asked about the religion of the Jews and the
religion that Muhammed had bought. They were successful in convincing them that
leaving the ways of their forefathers was a disgrace and would result in the
wrath of Allah being placed on them. Yet none of them could muster the courage
to ask the believers why are you following Muhammed?!
This make its clear that
the companions had sincerely submitted to Allah obeying his commandments and
refraining from his prohibitions applying his laws until death came to them and
they were upon that understanding of pure monotheism. This was during the time
before the Prophet (pbuh) had four wives, as he only married four wives after
he had passed fifty years of age.
This leads us to ask a few
questions the answer of which are absolutely clear for people with any
intellect.
The First Question: what is
to be said regarding those who believed in the Prophet and his message
worshipping Allah with sincerity following his commands and abstaining from his
prohibitions applying his Law until they died upon that belief, what will be
their end?
Is their end in the
Paradise of the Most Merciful where they enjoy eternal bliss and where the pleasure
of Allah is upon them, or to the Hellfire a place of eternal torment and his
displeasure and punishment?
The answer and there can
only be one is that their eventual destination will be to the Paradise of Allah
and to his eternal bounties. This is clear from what has been made apparent and
from what Allah promised them and what is confirmed in all of the ‘Heavenly
books’.
The second question: what
relation did the Prophet marrying again according to what Allah permitted for
him, have to do with those that believed in him? Will Allah reject the efforts
of those follower of the Prophet who had seen the sign of his prophet hood and
his miracles, would all of that come to nothing because the Prophet took more
than one wife or had taken many wives.
The answer is an absolute
no. As with the justice of Allah these people would not be punished as they had
turned to him, believing in him and worshiped him sincerely submitting
themselves to him.
The third question: is it
at all conceivable that those followers of the Prophet who had correct creed
implementing the commands of Allah and refraining from his prohibitions, those
who did not desecrate any of Allah’s sanctities nor transgress any of his
boundaries, is it at all conceivable that their Just Lord would enter them in
to the Hellfire for their eternal punishment and his wrath to be on them, all
of this because their prophet was married to more then one wife? This would
contradict everything that Allah revealed in all the Holy Scriptures. Take into
consideration the fact that it is He, Allah, who selected this Prophet for them
to begin with. The Answer again is an unequivocal no. It is not even
conceivable that any other answer could be entertained except to those who are
blind and have no sense.
The fourth question: what
do we say about Muhammed (pbuh) and his message after he married multiple time
after passing fifty year of age.
The answer is and there is
no alternative answer that we cannot but believe in him. This is because
Muhammed really is the true messenger of Allah, and that him marrying was only
with the permission of Allah from what Allah has permitted for him. With particular
reference to his marriage to Zainab through which Allah wanted to abolish the
practice of Adoption and its evils, it is important to note that these things
along with others were specific dispensations for him and this will be
discussed further later. This is the truth and the whole truth wherein is no
lie, and truth is enlightenment and falsehood is but darkness.
The fifth question: does it
detract from the prophet hood of Muhammed (pbuh) him marrying a number of women, in light of the fact many
Prophets married before him some many, many times?
The answer goes without
saying; a definitive no. Its is well reported that the prophet Dawud (David)
had more then a hundred free women, and Sulayman (Solomon) who Allah made a King and a Prophet married numerous
times. Beyond that a man marrying many women is something praiseworthy and an
indicator of his strength and masculinity, that he is able to provide for all
of his wives is a sign of responsibly living harmoniously with them all is a
sign of his maturity
The sixth question: what
then is the correct conclusion to what we have proposed. The answer being
undoubtedly we arrive at the following truths:
1) That Muhammed (pbuh) really
is the true messenger of Allah, having looked at the irrefutable proofs that
indicate his prophet hood and the miracles that confirmed his message, none
more greater than the Holy Quran itself, that all point to the truth that he is
the Last Messenger and the Seal of the Prophets.
2) That Allah does not
disregard the faith and efforts of those who believed in him following his
orders and leaving wrongdoing those who applied his Laws they did indeed humble
themselves before Allah and he Shareeah.
3) That there can by no unity
between truth and falsehood, like there cannot be between light and darkness as
the result would be confusion and conjecture.
4) The when the Prophet (pbuh)
eventually did marry eleven of his wives it was completely sanctions by Allah,
and was a special dispensation given to him alone, he was permitted to exceed
the four wives afforded to the rest of the believers.
5) That the statement of the
Prophet and his actions and particularly his marriage to his different wives
has in and of itself great lessons that can be extracted, even though it
escapes some.
t*****
Fifth, the marriage of the Prophet to eleven
wives, whilst only allowing the believers to marry four, as a proof of his
prophet hood and a confirmation of the truthfulness of the message he bought
from Allah.
The Prophet (pbuh) was
married to eleven wives, of whom died in his lifetime, Khadijah and Zainab Bint
Khuzaymah who was given the name ‘the mother of the poor’ signifying her
concern for them. The Prophet (pbuh) would die leaving behind him nine of his
wives.
Meanwhile the Prophet did
not allow the Muslims to marry more than four wives in accordance with the
tradition and law that was revealed to him.
Despite the best efforts of
the hypocrites in attacking him for marrying more than four wives whilst at the
same time limiting the Muslims to four wives, making personal attacks on him in
order to bring into disrepute the message he was calling to and his prophet
hood, despite all of this it did not serve to weaken his resolve in spreading
his message.
If indeed the Prophet was
falsely claiming prophet hood he would have surely taken a path other than that
ordered by Allah by permitting the Muslims to also marry more than four women,
as he stood to gain nothing from limiting them. He could have of permitted them
to marry any number of wives they desired exceeding even the eleven that he
himself married (pbuh), he would have been aided in that by;
1) The fact that marrying
numerous women was the prevailing norm in Arab society and the concept was not
a new one to them.
2) That having numerous wives
was praiseworthy and a sign of ones masculinity and maturity in being able to
live harmoniously with them all, and there were many examples of men practising
it.
Some of the Companions of
the Prophet (pbuh) had even married more than four women this, before they
embraced Islam, as for after they embraced then they obeyed the command of
Allah in holding onto only four of there wives, and divorcing the remaining
wives.
By lifting the limit placed
on the believers the Prophet would not have faced the claims of the Jews and
the hypocrites regarding his prophet hood and teaching. The Prophet (pbuh)
sought only to follow, the path that was determined for him by Allah without
deviating in the slightest or allowing his desires to dictate to him. The
Messenger of Allah did not fear the blame of the blamers instead he was
steadfast in spreading the message that he was entrusted with, so this is
another clear proof of his prophet hood and the truth of his message.
Victory is only realised
with Allah’s permission and for the hypocrites and the Jews Allah exposed their
plots and extinguished their fires, and lowered their banner, and Islam and the
Muslims reigned supreme and flourished in the Earth with people entering into
the religion of Allah in crowds all believing in one God and his final
messenger.
******
The Temporary Marriage a reprehensible act that
Islam did not permit.
It is important to note
here, that the Prophet did not permit the Temporary Marriage contract nor did
he allow the Muslims to practice it.
Temporary Marriage is in
reality just the same as fornication. It allows for the man to marry a women
but the marriage is only temporary until he has satisfied himself from his
desire at which point he leaves her.
The Shareeah of Islam came
to regulate all relationships none more important than the family dynamic, it
came to strengthen the structure of the family and to protect the bonds that
keep families together, thereby protecting peoples identities and lineage. It
came also to protect the women and her status whether she is a wife tending to
the needs of her husband or a mother who nurtures her children laying down
rules that govern every individuals rights and responsibilities, both at the
individual level and at the societal level.
None of these qualities are in temporary
marriage arrangements and so are in opposition to the principles of Islam,
rather it is practiced by the Shia and those that follow their ways may Allah
destroy them! They are seeking to satisfy their desires and are not the people
of Islam and so their behaviours is not typical of Islam and Muslims.
The reality of the Shia is
that they are a deviant sect who claim to be from the Muslims, they have
numerous denominations and splinter sects, their movement was started by
Abdullah Ibn Saba’ the Jew who sought to undermine Islam from within.
Allah blessed human kind
with intellect by which one determines what is right from what is wrong and
what is good and what is bad, it is in using that intellect that the human
realises the highest of possibilities always seeking betterment in everything.
Say for example a man is
known for his generosity, and good character it is only right and proper that
in our minds we consider him to have a high moral code. Should we not afford
the same to our Lord who blessed us with intellect, magnifying him as he
deserves to be magnified and that we remove from him all that is not befitting
to be associated with him, his actions and his decree, removing him from all
detractions and falsehood, enabling us to arrive at the authentic creed with no
crookedness in it, a creed that befits Allah and his attributes without the
need to philosophise.
*****
A brief expose of the creed of those who
practise ‘temporary marriage’.
Right from the onset, we
find that the Shia possessed many of the traits of the Jews, this is no
surprise as their founder was a Jew Abdullah Ibn Saba’ who claimed he was a
Muslim and claimed to love the household of the Prophet (pbuh).
Here are a few ways that
they are similar;
1) Both the Shia and the Jews believe
that Allah is just a large body, may Allah be exalted from what they say about
him, like the Jews are the first to believe in the Dajjal (Antichrist) the one
who claims lordship then we find the Shia with the same stroke describe Allah
with descriptions that do not befit his majesty.
2) The Shia also believe in
the principle of ‘beginning’ which implies that ignorance proceeded it, and
that there is no knowledge of the unseen, yet at the same time claim that their
Imams know all things and nothing escapes them.
3) Both also have animosity toward the Archangel
Gabriel the angel responsible for bring down the revelation, saying it is him
who burdens humans with responsibilities, similarly the Shia claim that Gabriel
mistakenly took the revelation to Muhammed (pbuh) in place of the rightful
recipient.
4) They are also similar in
that they both altered there holy scriptures, the Jews distorted the Torah and
the Shia distorted the Quran claiming it is created contradicting the statement
of Allah that he is the protector of his book.
As for the Christians then
they had all but lost their scripture in its entirety, with nothing remaining
from it but fables from the word of mouth that were given peoples own
interpretation adding to it and taking away from it however whoever liked,
removing it from its shell of religiosity and mixing it with the Paganism of
old. It went so far as they even changed the language of the revelation, all documented
in their early history from people in different place and different times. This
is why we find such vastly different versions of the Bible, many contradicting
each other, none more reliable than the other, and the revisions of the Bible
increased till today and will continue in this light until the Day of
Resurrection.
5) They also imitated the Jews
in their treatment of Allah Prophets, as the Jews would harm their Prophets
falsely accusing them of things they were free from, similarly we find the Shia
harming the household of the Prophet, accusing his wife Aisha (may Allah be
pleased with her) of unspeakable thing, claiming she betrayed the Prophet, may
Allah destroy them for thinking Allah was not going to protect the honour of
his Prophet and his household.
And the similarities
continue, and with no surprise considering their founder was a Jew as alluded
to earlier.
They also took issue with
the Companions of the Prophet swearing at them and claiming that all of the
Companions of the Prophet bar three disbelieved in his message after the
Prophets subsequent death. May Allah destroy them! Allah chose his Prophets and
then chose for them companions who were honoured be being given the status of
being companions of the Prophet lending him victory to his cause.
If one was to ask the Jews
who are the best of your brethren they would reply the companions of Moses.
Likewise if one posed the
same question to the Christians they would say the Disciples of Christ, but asking
the Shia the same question would get the unbelievable reply that the very worst
of people were the companions of Muhammed (pbuh), may Allah curse them!
The Companion’s of the
Messenger of Allah were the first to answer his call and believe in him they
sacrificed in giving victory to him and his religion, that is why after the
Prophets they are the best of humankind.
The Shia also took some of
the traits of the Christians; none more obvious then their marriages without
the offering of dowry as was the practice of the Christians. Seeking only
pleasure of a sexual nature from their men.
Al-Kaashaany one of their
protagonist says defending the practice; “a child born out of temporary
marriage is better then one born out of wedlock, and anyone who rejects the
legality of temporary marriage is an apostate.”
Another of them Al-Qammy
says; “Allah took away from the Shia the consumption of alcohol and replaced it
with temporary marriage.”
Aside from the above
mentioned ask any of them concerning temporary marriage and the answer would
always be the same “marry a thousand of them if you like they are just like
rented wives” and this is expressed in their books. Others proclaimed “they do
not get divorced nor do they inherit they are just rented temporarily.”
Allah Almighty did not
legislate the like of that for his Prophet, they simply followed what their desired dictated
to them.
We are making mention of
the Shia here merely to throw light upon their position regarding temporary
marriage, so that none is confused concerning the reality of their beliefs that
is widespread amongst them from Iran, to the Lebanon and parts of Iraq, clearly
they hold opposing views regarding marriage to the real Muslim mainstream.
Clearly they are only but
attributer of themselves to Islam and are not true practitioners and anyone
wanted to expand their reading on the topic is encouraged to read:
1) For Allah and then for
History by Hussain Al-Mawsowy from the scholar’s of Najaf who turned away from
Shiaism and embraced true Islam. In it he seeks to expose the realities of
their faith exposing their true disbelief.
2) Are you Please with
Shiaism? By Muhammed Ibn Hisham
3) The Creed of The Shia by
Abdullah Al-Salafiy
It was unbecoming of the
Prophet for him to permit this type of marriage for what lie in it in harm and
exploitation for individual’s families and the society as a whole, rather he
came with a pure Shareeah one protected by Allah confirming the verse in the
Quran “But Allâh will complete
His Light even though the disbelievers hate (it).” [Quran Chapter 61Verse 8]
So peace and blessing of
Allah be on this trustworthy Prophet who came with the best of Laws to abide by
for all of humankind.
******
Sixthly; The marriage of the prophet to his
eleven wives after surpassing fifty years of age, and his living and nurturing
them until death as a proof of his Prophet hood and a testament to the Shareeah
that he bought from unto Allah.
We must when looking into
the life of the Prophet look to the period when he married eleven wives as
alluded to this was after he had surpassed the age of fifty, this period was
the final period of his life, this considering his asceticism from the worldly
delights and his god fearing nature. Take into consideration that he was
preoccupied with the propagation of his message, fighting wars and battles in
protection of it to lift the banner of Monotheism and set the foundation for
the Islamic state that he built , his efforts in teaching what was revealed to
him from Allah, all indicate the truthfulness of his message and affirm his
prophet hood. Then likewise his multiple marriages have great lessons for those
with sound understanding. His marriages indicate right from the onset a taking
over of huge personal responsibility as is the case with all marriages, only
his did not distract him from his role as Prophet of Allah, nor did it take him
away from worshiping Allah, to the contrary it aided and supported him and his
cause through his guidance of them to the correct path.
His life before fifty:
The Prophet (pbuh) married
for the first time at the age of twenty-five to Khadija who at the time was
forty years old, fifteen years his senior. Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with
her) had been married twice previously and so was not a virgin when the Prophet
married her. She died three years before the migration of the Prophet to
Madinah about ten years into his prophet hood.
Khadijah was the first
person to believe in his message, supporting him through the early difficulties
he face from the tribe of Quraysh.
She mothered for him both
sons and daughters, however all of his sons died in childhood and he outlived
all of his daughters apart from Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) who was
informed by him that she would be the first to meet him from his household
after he died i.e. first to die after him.
This was yet another proof
of his prophet hood as he correctly prophesised the death of his daughter
Fatimah and she indeed was the first to die, dying six months after his death
making her the first to die from his household like he had said (pbuh).
And so they were the most
blessed of families, and with what Allah blessed her with in beauty and good
character the Prophet did not marry anyone along with her during her lifetime.
And let us ask why?
Why when it is well known
that a man is at his pinnacle in terms of physical strength and desire for
women in his youth, and yet the Prophet is married only to Khadijah and yet
later in his fifties in the last part of his life, with the burden of spreading
the message and fighting the enemies of Islam does he then embark on marrying
numerous wives, is this as his detractors claim a proof of his want to satisfy
his desire?
The answer is an
unequivocal no, because if their claims were true we would see it in evident in
his behaviour:
-
He surely would have married a virgin in his first
marriage and not someone married twice previously as was the case for Khadijah
especially considering his high social class, his grandfather being the leader
of Mecca.
-
Add to that
that he would surely have married a women who was young in age as they are more
desirous then older women and yet we find him marrying Khadijah at the age of
Forty, she had passed the days of her youth.
-
Or with this assumption he could and should have
married a women who had both these qualities i.e. a young virgin.
-
Or again enjoy the physical strength of youth by
marrying numerous times, particularly as it was the norm of the Arabs and he
was the highest of the Arabs in status as indicated his grandfather was in
charge of Mecca.
-
Or we should find some evidence to suggest his love
for the worldly life in possessions and covertness for what the life of this
world has to offer.
And yet with extensive
searching one is unable to find anything that indicates other then that he was
a complete ascetic, a humble slave to his Lord.
In continuation, we all are
aware that Allah sent his Prophet as an example to be emulated by us all in all
aspects of life from our worship to our transactions and our treatment of our
wives. Indeed in the Messenger of Allah we find a great example of how to build
a healthy family life built upon the conciseness of Allah and ruling by his laws,
abiding by his orders and abstaining from his prohibitions. So when one decides
to get married he tries his utmost to ensure his marriage is built upon these
principles of conciseness of Allah to prepare him for what lies in all
marriages in difficulty like parenting, providing monetarily and the like. Also
one would naturally want to protect ones marriage from bad influences whether
that be from outside or by not living according to Allah’s decree or not
properly nurturing and cultivation children to becoming upright human beings,
all of which are time consuming. We note that despite doing all of this for the
upkeep of his family one should not be doing it at the expense of his worship
to Allah, did we not find the Prophet (pbuh) preoccupied with spreading his
message and partaking in battles in defence of it, trying to lift the banner of
Islam? Then what do we say when this person with all of these responsibilities
and pressures is to marry again to another wife? No doubt another marriage
would mean for this person more responsibilities and the need for more
provisions along with a new problem to address that is living with two wives
simultaneously.
What can be said if this
poor person then marries a third wife or more a fourth?
The point that one can see
from our discussion is that in our times it is rare to see someone marrying
twice, and even rarer is to find someone concerned with the spiritual state of
the families, or someone who is able to live in harmony with both of his wives
not divorcing either of them.
But the Prophet was the
best of all Allah’s slaves, and example for all after him to follow in;
1) His treatment of his wives
(may Allah be pleased with them)
2) How he invited to the way
of Allah to each individual wife taking into consideration their individual
differences and treating them equally.
3) His nurturing of them on
the principles of fearing Allah, abstention from worldly things, even worship
to Allah.
We therefore find that the
Prophet (pbuh) was able to live harmoniously with all of his wives at on given
time, with the sustenance of Allah he set about setting up the Empire of Islam
built upon the foundations of conciseness of Allah and the application of his
Law.
So the Prophet is for us
the best of examples, as someone who married eleven women in the latter years
of his life, that did not take away from his worship of Allah nor did it
distract him from his call, whilst he was simultaneously nurturing his own
family and wives like he was nurturing the state of Islam, this is again a
further proof of his prophet hood and the truth of his message.
Here we present a brief example
of family life in the household of the Prophet.
The household of any person
is his sanctuary, and his realities, any bad mannerism and frailties are
exposed in this most personal of all places.
One finds the Messenger of
Allah, was the quintessence of humbleness without any pretence, this despite
him being the ‘man’ of the household, it was within his power and right to
demand from his wives, as everyone under his command was weak, but we find he
himself was in the service of his family. For he used to stitch his own clothes
and milk his goat and would do things for himself.
On this point Aisha (may
Allah be pleased with her) wife of the Prophet (pbuh) said, “That she accompanied
the Prophet on a certain journey. At that time she was a mere girl and was
neither fat nor bulky. The Prophet asked the people to move on, and they
marched ahead. Then the Prophet said to me, 'Come on, let us have a race'.
Aisha says that she ran and remained much ahead of him. The Prophet kept quiet
for some time. Later on when Aisha gained weight and became loose bodied, she
forgot the previous incident. Again she accompanied the Prophet on some
journey. The Prophet again asked the people to march ahead, and they moved
ahead. Then the Prophet again asked her to have a race with him. This time the
prophet defeated her and she lagged behind. Now the prophet laughed and said, 'this
is in reply to our previous defeat'”
It is but a playful game they were enjoying, demonstrating the
importance the Prophets showed toward his wife. Ordering the people to march
forward so that he could race with his wife, thus entering pleasure and
happiness into her heart, then the Prophet in the spirit of joy says to her “this
is in reply for that”, which is why he is the best of teachers and the most
deserving of guides to be followed.
We could have selected any number of anecdotes from his biography to
demonstrate how life was living with him (pbuh) for his wives, and all of these
have been protected by Allah as a clear guide for all people and times.
******
The wisdom of the Prophets (pbuh) marriages
and the great benefits that resulted in it.
There were great benefits in the marriages of the Prophet (pbuh) to his
wives and many lessons one could learn, from those great wisdoms is:
1)
The important role of
narrating his traditions, that are his statements and actions. His traditions
are the second source of the Shareeah after the Quran, and the a major role of
their preservation was given to the wives of the Prophet. So it is on their account
that all of Islam benefits from the various narration of the Prophets speech
and actions, narrated by them with absolute honesty due to their trustworthy
nature. The people who specialize in the traditions and narrations of the
prophet quote some three thousand narrations have come through the wives of the
Prophet.
2)
Spreading the message
of Islam through his wives to the womenfolk of the society as all of his wives
were women of nobility so widely revered.
3)
Spreading Islamic regulation
that is specific to women particularly ritual purification, a topic that is
especially precise, that was understood and taught in a precise fashion by his
wives.
4)
In order to facilitate
for all to see what the Prophet was like in his innermost core. The Prophet
(pbuh) married Umm Habeebah and her father was an enemy to him, and he married
Saffiyyah after the Muslims had killed her father, uncle and husband, so if he
had not been the most complete in character they would have left him, but it
was not unusual for his wives to love and prefer the Prophet to there own
families.
5)
In marrying his wives there was a further
responsibility on him outside of the formidable task of spreading the message
of his Lord and worshiping him.
6)
His out of the
ordinary ability to have multiple wives cohabiting with them all, despite have
little food and fasting sometimes for two days continuously without food or
water, considering he had ordered the youth who were unable to marry to observe
the fast as it is something which lessens the desires, add to that his devotion
to Allah in worship and undertaking the enormous task of spreading the call of
Allah and the lifting of the banner of Monotheism.
So it was
extraordinary that despite all of these things he was able to live happily with
so many wives when a normal human would be unable, this is yet another sign
that he was selected by Allah and given special powers not afforded to the
average person.
7)
It gave an opportunity
to the believers for them to emulate their Prophet in his manners and ways
especially in marriage and in the treatment of ones spouse. This is why we find
his biography has been preserved so that Muslims can copy their Prophet.
8)
It also allowed for
the women of the world to emulate the wives of the Prophet according to how the
Prophet nurtured them, teaching them manners and how to live in harmony with
his other wives. This indicate the reason why the Shareeah permitted for the
taking of more than one wife on condition that the correct rule are followed
with the fear of Allah at the forefront.
9)
His marriages also
served to establish and bring closer his ties to his most important companions,
who were like the pillars upholding Islam; by doing so he ensured the upkeep of
Islam through his companions. In this light he married the daughter of Abu Bakr
As-Siddique, and he married the daughter of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, and he himself
married his two daughters to Uthman when the first of them died he married the
second and was called ‘the possessor of the two lights’. He also married his
daughter Fatimah to Ali Ibn Abi Talib may Allah be pleased with them all.
10)
As alluded to earlier
from the wisdom in his marriage to Zainab Bint Jahsh was following the
commandment of Allah in abolishing the practice of adoption that had become
rampant in Arab society. So he was order to marry the divorced wife of his
previously adopted son Zaid and by it abolishing the practice for the Muslims.
Through this abolition preserving the rights of rightful inheritors to inherit
and protecting the lineage of people from being confused. As Allah said:
“But kindred by blood are nearer to one another
regarding inheritance in the decree ordained by Allâh. Verily, Allâh is the
All-Knower of everything.” [Quran Chapter 8 Verse 75]
By doing this he was
also lifting the restriction on the Arabs from marrying the divorced women of
their adopted sons. This meant that by the Prophets marriage to Zainab it
indicated that Zaid was not in actual fact the son of the Prophet as had
previously been said, as it is prohibited to marry the wives of your son.
11)
By marrying many women
he was spreading his message by gaining helpers and caller to his way against
his enemies who were calling to false Gods.
12)
His marrying into the different tribes of the
Arabs also made it easier for them to embrace Islam.
13) It should not go unmentioned that his marriages also mean naturally
that his offspring would flourish, from amongst the characteristics he
encouraged the believers to look for when getting married are the women who are
child bearing, as he is proud of the numbers of his followers on the Day of
Judgment.
14) That is was a praiseworthy quality among the Arab for a man to take
more then one wife and it was an indication of his manhood, but add to the
unique situation of the Prophet and his responsibility in spreading the message
of Allah it make his marriages an even greater achievement. Rather than
distracting him from his goal it instead acted as assistance for him, by
teaching and nurturing them.
Thus you see clearly
from the aforementioned points the wisdom that lied in his marrying many
different wives, that the people of knowledge have extrapolated from us from
his biography, so this again proves as an evidence of his prophet hood and the
truth of the Shareeah he bought from Allah Almighty.
*****
Seventhly; A description of the house of the
Prophet as a proof of his prophet hood and a testament of truth to his message.
The description of the
house provides for us the most conclusive proof of his prophet hood, and they
he was sent as a mercy to all of mankind.
For he is the one who
taught us; that in the act of copulating with ones spouse there is even in that
reward from Allah, as they had done so under the umbrella of marriage, do you
not see that had he pursued this outside of marriage he would be liable to
punishment and sin for taking a path the then the path that Allah permitted.
Indeed the sin of adultery is one of the major crimes that the one who does it
incurs the wrath of Allah and his punishment.
The Prophet (pbuh) also
encouraged for the believers to seek behind their worldly action the pleasure
of Allah like Allah Almighty said “Say (O
Muhammad (pbuh)): "Verily, my Salât (prayer), my
sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allâh, the Lord of the 'Alamîn (mankind,
jinns and all that exists)” [Quran Chapter 6 verse
162]
So the home life of the Prophet from his food,
drink house and furniture were all for Allah seeking his pleasure.
Let us now shed some light
on this blessed prophetic house and household so it is a further proof of his
prophet hood and proof that he was not seeking the adornments of the worldly
life.
On the authority of
Abdullah Ibn Masud said that
God's Messenger slept on a reed mat and got up with the mark of it on his body.
He said, "O God's Messenger! I wish you would order us to spread something
out for you and make something." The Prophet replied, "What have I to
do with the world, I am like a rider who rests for a while under the shade of a
tree, then goes off and leaves it." [Narrated by At-Tirmidhi].
The Prophet was indeed
ascetic and a slave of Allah and we see this clearly in his household:
Firstly his House; before
we glance at the diminutive nature of his house and the humble furniture
therein we understand that despite Allah enriching his Prophet, this did not
lead to the Prophet to have the love of money in his heart rather it was in his
hand, with which he would spend in every gracious cause seeking with it the
pleasure of Allah, he never sought the worldly life and its adornment rather
the coolness of his eye was in his prayer.
His house was built with
mud bricks and some stone bricks and its roof was made of palm leaves.
Demonstrating the size of his house Al-Hasan narrates that he entered the house
of the Prophet during the caliphate of Uthman and he could touch the roof with
his hands.
The house of the Prophet
and the private dwelling area of his wives were small in size but were full of
Faith and obedience to Allah, and it was a house alive with the remembrance of
Allah from his glorification and praise, ‘Glory be to Allah, All praise to
Allah, there is no God but Allah, Allah is great.’ Frequently being recited
therein were the verses of Allah’s book and the prayer was established there,
so much did the Prophet used to pray at home that his feet used to crack from
his long standing in prayer. An empty house but one full of faith and
obedience.
Secondly his bed; Anan ibn Malik narrate that he was with the
Prophet of Allah when a group of people entered his house among them was Umar, Umar entered Muhammad's house and noticed the
state of the furniture in it. Muhammad (pbuh) himself had only one sheet of
cloth round him to cover the lower part of his body. There was one simple bed,
with one pillow filled with nut fiber; on one side of the room was some barley
and in one corner near his feet was an animal skin. There were some water-bag
skins hanging beside his bed. Umar said that on seeing this tears came into his
eyes. God's Messenger asked the reason for his tears. He replied, "O God's
Messenger! Why shouldn't I cry! The strings of the bed have left marks on your
body. This is a small room with all your furniture, I can see what there is.
The Kaiser of Rome and Kisra (ruler) of Persia enjoy luxurious living while
you, God's Messenger, and the Chosen One, live like this." He said,
"Ibn Khattab! Don't you like that they choose this world and we choose the
Hereafter?” And Umar replied “and so it is as you say” [Narrated by Ahmed]
So we see
that his bed was a mat that used to leave marks on his body, this was the
degree of unimportance he gave to the worldly things.
Thirdly his
clothing; the clothing of the Prophet (pbuh) was modest and was neither haughty
nor overly frugal in that regard, rather they were humble, modest garments
suiting the his own modesty, it used to be said of him that he is more shy then
a ‘virgin behind her veil’.
He used to
love perfume and none would smell better the perfume of the Messenger of Allah,
and this is what was befitting for him as Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty
in all things, his smell was indicative of his ritual and spiritual purity as
he was continuously in receipt of revelation and was always in a state of
remembrance and prayer, always calling to the way of Allah in a way that was
the most correct and so was the ideal person to be emulated.
Fourthly
his food and drink; the staple diet of the Prophet consisted of the ‘two
blacks’ water and dates, as it is narrated that a new moon would be born and
another and fire was not lit in the house of the Prophet meaning food was not
cooked.
He was
known not to eat to his bellies fill and would only eat enough to suffice him
to keep his back upright.
All of this
indicate to us that the house of the Prophet was basic free from the lavishes
of the worldly life not seeking any of its luxuries, his first and foremost
goal was the pleasure of Allah.
If he
wanted it was within his ability to command those around him to build for him a
palace and eating the most opulent of food and dress riding the best of vehicles,
none of which was prohibited Islamically for him, but he was offered by Allah
to be a King Prophet or a prophet and slave of Allah and he chose the latter to
humble himself before Allah and it is a station that is no doubt better and
higher.
What is it that
was driving him to abandon the adornments of this life? And what was he seeking
in that? And what does that indicate to us?
The answer
is that his drive was the obedience of Allah doing all the he was commanded,
being the first t apply the law that was revealed to him, he was seeking in
that the pleasure of Allah.
That
indicate to us the truthfulness of his message and that he was the true Prophet
of Allah sent to humankind.
After our
discussion is it at all feasible for someone with the least bit of intellect to
suggest that his marrying to numerous wives was merely an act born out of his
desires?
He is the one who taught us
the words of Allah: “Say (O
Muhammad (pbuh)): "Verily, my Salât (prayer), my
sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allâh, the Lord of the 'Alamîn (mankind,
jinns and all that exists)” [Quran Chapter 6 verse
162]
The answer is of course no.
-
If it were the case that his marriages were for the
sole reason of satisfying his desires we would have seen the following;
1) That this desire of his
should have manifested in his love of other things that the human body also
desires for like food and drink, and this is not evident in any of his houses
rather one finds the opposite in that months have gone by and yet they is
nothing being cooked in the house of prophet hood, nor any food consumed apart
from a few dates and water. Apart from that lack of food it is a well
established tradition of his that he used to fast a lot, he would fast Monday
and Thursday of every week and the three middle days of every lunar month, six
days of Shawwaal , this in addition to him fasting the entire months of Ramadan
and the vast majority of Sha’baan and many days of Muharram and various other
days scattered throughout the rest of the year like the Day of Arafah and the
10th of Muharram. It was also his custom that if he woke in the
morning and there was no food to be served he would remain fasting till the end
of the day, he would also occasionally fast for two consecutive days without
breaking fast all of this in the scorching heat of Arabia. This was in addition
to his efforts fighting battles in defence of his teaching.
2) It was more befitting of a
man half the age of the Prophet to do what he done in his fifties marrying
numerous wives whilst setting up the foundation of the state of Islam and
fighting to protect the very existence of his message. But his heart was
preoccupied with Allah and with the teachings that he taught to the Companions.
So the house of the Prophet
and the description of his life therein is yet another undeniable proof of his
prophet hood and the truth of his eternal message.
******
Eighthly: The Sacred Law that was sent to
Muhammed (pbuh) and the allowance of its adherers to marry up to four times as
a proof of his prophet hood and a testament to the truth of his message.
The Sacred Law that was
sent to Muhammed (pbuh) and the allowance of its adherers to marry up to four
times is indeed a proof of his prophet hood and a testament to the truth of his
message. A message suitable for all people and all places.
None know the knowledge of
the unseen save Allah, he is the sole know of what will take place in the
future, and he is more aware o what is better for humankind then they are
themselves and that is because he created them, so Allah sent a legal system
that was in agreement to their present and to their future.
A nothing indicates to us
this point more vividly then a look at the birth rate of both women and men.
Moreover a look to the ratio of male and female birth rates is clearer
evidence. This alone rubbishes the claims of those who demonstrate enmity to
the Messenger of Allah and the religion that came with him, a religion that was
protected from tampering unlike Judaism and Christianity.
The Sacred law that the
Prophet bought allowing the practice of Polygamy because of it many individual
and societal benefit, did not just leave it to the people to determine when or
how or how many women to marry, instead it legislated strict conditions and
prerequisites to anyone wanting to marry more than once.
1- Absolute justice and
equality between the wives, and not oppressing anyone of them, so the husband
should not lean to one of his wives more then the other. What is meant by
‘leaning’ is not the leaning of the heart where one is inclined more toward one
wife over the others as this is a matter for the heart and something that no
man is in control of. What ‘leaning’ means is leaving here unattended making
life constricting and opening for her the doors of temptation.
2- The ability to provide the
provisions for all his wives, it is not permissible for a man to exceed one
wife if he is unable to provide for two wives making them live together for
example and making people fill his short comings n their rights over him.
3- Dealing with them justly
when providing for them. It is not allowed for any husband that he is misery to
any of his women so that he does not oppress any of them.
4- Having intimate relations
with each of his wives so closing the doors of temptation and sins.
It is from the wisdom of
Allah Almighty who knew what was in the past and what is to be in the future
that he allowed the practice of polygamy and it is a sign of his mercy to
humankind that he permitted it, as it contains so many benefits for human kind.
To mention but a few of these great benefit that
result from the practice of polygany, that the Prophet practiced and was
practised in Arab society:
1- It is from the laws of Allah and his wise decree
that the numbers of men in comparison to women are always less, and that a man
is more exposed to dangers and death then women in all walks of life especially
war, and the two World Wars are examples of that leaving millions of women both
married and not to lead lives without a husband.
And if every man limited
himself to marrying just one women this would leave a large number of women
without partners, leaving them no path in satisfying their desires apart from
blameworthy ones satisfying their desires like animals satisfy their.
And the science of
measuring rates of birth and deaths has been a slap in the face of every
ignoramus. As they discovered that the numbers of female births far outstrip
births of their male counterparts, proving the verse in the Quran :
“(This is) a Book, the Verses whereof are perfected
(in every sphere of knowledge, etc.), and then explained in detail from One
(Allâh), Who is All-Wise and Well-Acquainted (with all things).” [Quran Chapter 11Verse 1]
2- That women are normally reliant, it is with this in
mind that in Islam a man is charged with the responsibility of clothing feeding
and housing his wife, this is in addition to her right to a dowry and it is
upon him to fulfil all of her needs. This is all to respect women, in contrast
to what we see to day with many men fulfilling completely the rights of their
wives because of poverty.
Therefore the reliance of a
women to her husband is less then the reliance of a man to his wife, as she
will not face poverty as he is likely to feel it because of his under taking of
marriage.
If a man was to then limit
himself to one wife it would mean the increase in the numbers of reliant women
who do not have anyone tending to their needs, and would cause great social
upheaval and to the spreading of indecent acts between humans. And this is
evident in the Christian and Jewish traditions, even to the point where they do
illicit thing in the various festivities.
3- Perhaps you find some
men blessed with both extraordinary physical strength as well as above average
financial wealth, and like we alluded to earlier; Islam did not come to
eradicate the desires of man and the natural instinct that he was created with,
but rather it came to guide and direct it to what is right according to what
Allah Almighty revealed and was pleased with for his slaves.
Rather Allah Almighty
legislated that for men who are like this, that they are allowed to take up to
four wives, especially as there are periods where women menstruate or like the
postpartum bleeding after childbirth where he cannot approach her sexually. So
not only is it a mercy for the man but it is easier on his wife who may be his
only wife and be unable to fulfil all of his needs.
5- There are men who for
whatever reason travel between countries for long or short periods of time. It
may not always be possible or feasible to accompany his wife on these journeys
especially if he has children, so it was from the mercy of Allah that he
allowed for such a man that he take more then one wife so that he can protect
his name and honour and not fall into that which Allah prohibited. Especially
if the country he is visiting is one where sexual vices are prevalent, where
the moral fabric of the people is weaker and they may not even believe in a
God.
Of course this is also not
without conditions;
- He should ensure he is
not absent from the wife he left behind for long periods that may bring harm to
her.
- He should always deal
justly between both wives in everything.
6- There are some men who want
to see their offspring flourish, from what they have been endowed with by Allah
in physical strength and financial stability, or perhaps they seek to emulate
the advice of the Prophet when he said “ marry the women who are child bearing
and make themselves beloved to you, as I am proud of your numbers on the Day of
Judgement”, he is of course charged with bringing his children up according to
the regulations of Islam.
Allah did not seek to
restrict men who find themselves in the aforementioned categories by limiting
them to one wife, but on condition of:
-
His ability to make provisions for them including
their religious well being by holding tight to the Shareeah of Allah.
-
Secondly that he treat them with absolute justice.
This along with what we
have shown demonstrate that the Prophets marriage to multiple wives and his
allowance for the believers to do so is a definite proof of his prophet hood
and a confirmation of his message.
******
Ninthly: The absolute obedience of the Prophet
(pbuh) to the order of Allah in what Allah permitted him to marry from the
women, as a further proof of his prophet hood and a confirmation of his
message.
The Messenger of Allah
married eleven women all with the dispensation of Allah and his permission, as
Allah permitted his Prophet to marry numerously like the Prophets before him
had married numerously also.
There for the obedience of
the Prophet (pbuh) to the order of Allah in what Allah permitted him to marry
from the women because of the great benefits of it for him primarily and his
followers secondarily as we have already shown, as a further proof of his
prophet hood and a confirmation of his message.
As we have already
established his marriage to Zainab was ordained to him in order to abolish the
despicable practice of adoption.
In fact in generality all
of his actions were in accordance with what Allah commanded including his
multiple marriages, he demonstrated the rules that Allah placed and his
boundaries, always guarding his commandment and prohibitions.
He demonstrated this best
when Allah decreed that the Prophet was no longer to marry any other wife after
the wives he had nor was he to divorce any of them, Allah Almighty revealed to
him:
“It is
not lawful for you (to marry other) women after this, nor to change them for other
wives even though their beauty attracts you, except those (captives or slaves)
whom your right hand possesses. And Allâh is Ever a Watcher over all things.” [Quran Chapter 33 Verse 52]
This was a reward to the
wives of the Messenger for their patience and good nature towards him, and
their preference of the hereafter over this fleeting life.
Although this verse was
eventually abrogated but remained read in the Quran , meaning the prohibition
no longer stood on him not being able to marry, despite this we find that the
Prophet remained steadfast and faithful to those of his wives he had
consummated marriage with, not divorcing a single one of them nor marrying
anyone on top of them. It was common for them that they would compete with on
another always planning to see how and with what they could be the most beloved
to the Messenger of Allah, and in return the Prophet remained with them
patiently teaching and nurturing every single one of them with what he was
inspired with from Allah. He may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him was
the ideal husband and a complete example of what a husband should be like to
his wives.
This because he would only
ever do that which pleased Allah exalted is he. That is why you never find him
calling his Companions to do something except he was the first in obeying the
commandment or leaving the oppression. His glorious biography is a sufficient
proof of his prophet hood and a testament to the truth of his teaching.
-
In continuation, we can see from what we have
discussed that in reality of the marriage of the Prophet was for him an
increase in his responsibilities, this is because the Prophet had been ordered
not to marry again nor to change any of his wives, in return for their
perseverance and patience, even when the restriction was lifted the Prophet did
not marry on his previous wives.
The Prophet marriages did
not distract him from the work of prophet hood and to his personal dedication
to the worship of Allah, nor did it distract him from calling to the way of
Allah, instead it helped galvanise him and he taught them and nurtured them on
the principles of loving the hereafter and abstaining from the adornment of the
worldly life.
As for other than the
Prophet (pbuh);
Then is allowed for all
Muslims that they marry four women provided that they deal with them justly in
all of their affairs like the Prophet (pbuh) did, although one can be excused
for loving one more than the other as this is something outside of his control.
What if some accident
caused the death of all of ones wives?
Then in that case it is
allowed for the man to marry four other wives in place of those that died,
which would make the total number of wives he had at eight wives.
What about if he then
divorced all of his wives for an acceptable reason, as of course he cannot
divorce them for no justifiable reason in the Shareeah.
Then the answer is that in
that case it is allowed for the man to marry a further four wives in place of
those that he divorces, which would make the total number of wives he had at
twelve wives, a number that is more than the number of women that the Prophet
married, and likewise if the previous two circumstances were to recur that
would mean him marrying many, many wives.
As for the Prophet then
that was not allowed for him as the verse in the Quran showed and although it
was then abrogated, during the period the verse was actively acted upon, any of
the believers could have married and divorced according to the situation that
he might find himself in any number of women far in excess of those that the
Prophet was ordered to remain with, the only limit being that they did not
exceed four wives at any given time.
Another reason for the
Prophets marriages being an additional burden of responsibility is that he was
ordered not to allow for his love of his wives to distract him from the job of
spreading the message given to him by Allah.
So this argument proves
again the great wisdom that Allah bought forth in the marriage of the Prophet
(pbuh) to his wives, and was yet another proof of him prophet hood and message.
******
Tenthly: The Marriages of the Prophet (pbuh) was
a test of the faith and resolve of the believers from Almighty Allah.
The Marriages of the
Prophet (pbuh) was indeed a test of the faith and resolve of the believers and
their certainty of his prophet hood and message.
This is because the Jews
and Hypocrites were hasty in looking for anything with which to attack the
Prophet with, including falsifying lies about him, in order to take the people
away from his message, and return those that believed in him to their religion
of old. How could they achieve such a goal, when Allah has promised his Prophet
that he will be victorious even if the disbelievers dislike it.
Islam is indeed a religion
on the rise and people are embracing everyday, this make the affair of
defending the religion a serious one.
Islam is in need of men who
are believers in it to protect it from the onslaught of the disbelievers, men
who take on the responsibility of spreading the true message of Islam who are
unaffected by the lies and fabrication that are thrown at them. These men are
like pillars holding up the religion. That is why those claims and attempts
from the hypocrites was for the believers a test of their faith, none can
withstand this onslaught only the most strongest of believers. This test is
reminiscent of another test that faced the believers at the time of the
Prophet; the changing of the Qibla (direction of Prayer) from the Sacred
Al-Aqsa Mosque in Palestine to the Ka’bah in Mecca.
The Muslims along with the
Prophet used to pray in the direction of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, until they were
instructed by Allah to face the Ka’bah in Mecca.
“so turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid-
al-Harâm (at Makkah). And wheresoever you people are, turn your faces (in
prayer) in that direction.” [Quran Chapter 2 Verse 144]
This after the Prophet and
the believers had spent a period praying in that direction, the e hypocrites
and Jews saw this as an opportunity to spread their lies and fabrications
regarding the changing of the direction of the Qibla from ) from the Sacred
Al-Aqsa Mosque in Palestine to the Ka’bah in Mecca.
But the believers remained
steadfast, resolute in their faith and obeyed the command of their Lord, a
demonstration of this certainty in their belief is when a group of believers
were informed concerning the changing of the direction of prayer as they were
praying, and so they changed direction whilst they were in the act of bowing to
Allah, all of them men and children completing their prayer in the direction of
the Ka’bah in Mecca. This demonstrate they complete subservience to the
commandment of Allah that they did not wait until after the prayer had ended
rather they immediately changed direction, illustrating their complete
certainty in the Messenger of Allah and his call.
An so the multiple
marriages of the Prophet was a test to see how strong their faith was in him,
and none is able to pass these tests except one with absolute certainty in what
he believes.
A further proof of that is
that those same companions fought and spread the words of Allah and the words
of his Messenger both in the life of the Messenger (pbuh) and after his death
taking his message to the corners of the Earth.
Merely a hundred years had
elapsed since the death of the Prophet and yet his message had spread far in to
the East and West and both North and South and the people entered into his
religion in groups.
The Prophet was indeed the
best of all teachers and the best of all examples to follow.
May the peace and blessing
of Allah be upon him.
******
The noble Characteristics of the Prophet as a
husband.
The Prophet was the best of
all husbands, in terms of his disposition and his zealous protection of his
womenfolk, add to that the gentleness in his demeanour, his simplicity, his forbearance,
his steadfastness in the face of difficulty, his manhood his justice, his
strength, he was honourable in his
dealing with his wives, curing their jealousy, fulfilling their wants and
needs, being just in correcting them when they erred, accepting their
consultation in the most significant affairs.
Whatever we say and however
we word our statements about his qualities as a husband we would never be able
to do him justice, as his married life constituted the fulfilling of second
part of him, and in it is a whole school worth of meanings.
Aisha (may Allah be pleased
with her) narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) ‘never struck anything with his hand
not a women nor a slave, except in the way of Allah, neither did he ever seek
retribution in something from his own rights, however he would seek it if it
was the right of Allah.” [Narrated by Muslim]
Anas
reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had in one of his
journeys his slave who was called Anjasha along with him. He goaded by singing
the songs of camel-driver. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him)
said: Anjasha, drive slowly as you are driving (the mounts who are carrying)
glass vessels. i.e. the women. [Narrated by Muslim]
Aishah said,
"I used to drink (from a container) while I was menstruating. I would then
pass it to the Messenger of Allah and he would drink from the same spot where I
had put my lips." [Narrated
by Muslim]
Al-Aswad narrated: I asked 'Aisha what did the
Prophet use to do at home. She replied. "He used to keep himself busy
serving his family and when it was time for the prayer, he would get up for
prayer." [Narrated
by Bukhari]
Aisha
reported that the Messenger of Allah would say to her; “ I know when you are
pleased with and I know when you are angry at me” so I said how do you know
that to which he replies when you are pleased with me you say By the Lord of
Muhammed! And when you are displeased you say By the Lord of Ibraheem! So I
said By Allah O’ Messenger of Allah I do not but leave your name”. ." [Narrated
by Bukhari]
This
illustrates to us how well he knew his wives that he would notice every
subtlety in their word.
The Prophet
was in the same respect protective over the memory of his wives, he would
protect the remembrance of Khadijah his first wife, this after she had been the
first person to believe in him and assist him with her wealth and all her
might, despite her people disbelieving in him, that is why he did not marry
anyone else in her lifetime despite her marrying twice before and being much
older then him entering into the last portion of her life whilst he was in the
pinnacle of strength. He would protect her memory even many ears after her death
as the following narration illustrates.
Aisha narrated : "I was not, jealous of any
other wife of the Prophet as I was
jealous of Khadijah, because of his constant mentioning of her and because God
had commanded him to give her good tidings of a mansion in Paradise of precious
stones. And whenever he sacrificed a sheep he would send a fair portion of it
to those who had been her intimate friends. [Narrated Bukhari]
Look at how he remembers his wife Khadijah by
even distributing the meat of sacrifice because of remembering her.
It is narrated in the books of history and
biography, that an old lady visited the Prophet in the house of Aisha and he
laid down his cloth for her, and sat her down on it, when she left Aisha
enquired about her and was told she was a women who used to visit Khadijah.
It is reported that he would accept their opinion
and go back on his in an issue they disliked.
He would assist them in their houses, he would
fix his own shoes and stitch his own clothes and assist his servant in carrying
out his duties.
He was the best of all examples and the Prophet (pbuh) never struck anything with
his hand not a women nor a slave, except in the way of Allah.
He was the softest of
people and the most generous of people and was always smiling.
He would divide his time
equally between his wives spending a night with each one in turn.
If he embarked n a journey
he would draw lots between them to choose who would accompany him on his
journey in the spirit of justice.
When he performed the
pilgrimage he took with him all of his wives.
When he was ill in his
final illness and was unable to go from house to house he would ask “where am I
tomorrow” seeking the day of Aisha and so his wives permitted him to remain
with Aisha as long as he wanted and so he remained there and he died there
peace be upon him.
And like his justice in
dividing his time between his wives, he was also just in the way he spent on
them and treated them.
He would take a
reconciliatory position when dealing with the jealousy there was between them
for his attention, and would occasionally become upset by things that normally
upset women.
At-Tirmidhi narrates:
That Safiyyah wife of the
Prophet (pbuh) who was from the Children of Israel that it reached her that
Aisha and Hafsa said: ‘ we are better in the sight of the Prophet then you” so
she mentioned that to the Prophet who said to her “ why did you not say to
them, in what way are you better, when Muhammed is my husband and Haroun
(Aaron) is my farther and Musa (Moses) is my uncle?”
So this was an example of
how he was comprehensive in his dealings with his wives with wisdom, what we
have shown from his characteristics are merely a few drops in the ocean that is
his great character and is further testament to the truth of his prophet hood
and the truth of his message.
******
A brief look at each
individual marriage of the Prophet and the wisdom and benefit of each blessed
union.
The Prophet had in any one
time at most nine wives, this was after Khadija and Zainab Bint Kuzaymah had
both passed away, this was a special dispensation for him alone and is not
permitted for anyone apart from him, by the consensus of all the scholars. This
is not unlike his other dispensations mentioned in the books of jurisprudence
like his continual fasting, which he prohibited the companions from following
because of the difficulty in it for them.
In fact the Prophet did not
marry after the death of Khadijah until he migrated from Mecca to Madinah
except to Sawdah may Allah be pleased with her. Nor did he marry again until
Islam was manifest as a state in Madinah once he had entered his fifties, these
marriage all served purposes for him and his cause.
1-
Khadijah may Allah be
pleased with her.
The Prophet (pbuh) married
Khadijah when he was twenty-five years old and she was twice widowed, and forty
years old, she lived with him for fifteen years before revelation came to him,
and died three years before the migration at the age of sixty-five. The Prophet
spent the best part of his youth with her and a good part of his manhood with
her, she mothered children for him and he did not marry any other women during
her time with him.
It was from Allah decree
that he married her and their union was a blessed one, as she was the first to
believe in him and his massage from womankind and believed in him where people
had belied him, compensating him from her wealth when people had embargoed him,
so she was for him the best of his wives and he did not prefer anyone over her.
2-
Sawdah Bint Zum’ah may
Allah be pleased with her.
She was the first woman the
Prophet married after the death of Khadijah, the Prophet married her after her
own husband had died returning from their second migratory trip to Ethiopia.
It was from the wisdom of
the Prophet that he proposed marriage to her as she otherwise would have had to
return to her family in Mecca where she would have faced persecution and been
forced to leave the religion of Islam, she was married to him three years before
he migrated to Madinah.
3-
Aisha the daughter of Abu
Bakr As-Siddique may Allah be pleased with her.
She was the most beloved of
the Prophets wives to him after Khadijah, and the Prophet did not marry a
virgin other than her, and this was after a year of his marriage to Sawdah, two
years and five months before his migration. But he did not consummate his
marriage with her until seven months after the migration, when the situation
had become suitable for him to consummate with her.
She was unique amongst
women in the eloquence of her speech, the strength of her intellect, the
precision of her understanding, her overall intelligence and her ability to memorise,
in addition to that she was a scholar of poetry and literature as well as genealogy
and history of the Arabs and many men of knowledge have commented on the
greatness of her knowledge.
The great Imam Az-Zuhry says:
‘If one gathered the knowledge of Aisha and compared it with the knowledge of
the rest of the wives of the Prophet in fact with the rest of women you would
find her knowledge to be more’
Hishaam Bin Urwah narrated
on his farther Urwah who was the nephew of Aisha: ‘ indeed I have accompanied
Aisha, but I have never seen someone more knowledgeable then her in a verse
that was revealed, nor a prophetic tradition, no an obligation or superogatory
act, nor poetry nor the stories of the Days of the Arabs, nor in genealogy nor
in law or medicine.”
So the marriage of the
Prophet to Aisha at this young age after her physical and mental faculties had
fully developed, was a blessed union despite the vast age difference, this did
not pose a problem for them, as the Prophet was the teacher of humankind, and
so turned his attention to nurturing her and teaching along with his good
treatment of her. And the stories of his married life are evidence enough in
that regard.
It also served a purpose
that was tying the knot that was between himself and her Farther even tighter,
her farther who was the closet confidante to the prophet and his best friend
and companion on the migration Abu Bakr As-Siddique, it was an honour for him
that he married his daughter to the Prophet and at the same token it was an
honour for Abu Bakr that the Prophet married his daughter. Abu Bakr was the
first man to believe in him and trust his message and everything he was sent
with.
So the marriage of the
Prophet to Aisha strengthen that relationship the Prophet and one of his most
important companions and the highest of them in status.
From among the benefit of
this marriage is the following:
That the thing that
exemplified Aisha from the other wives of the Prophet, was her ability in
narrating his prophetic traditions, so one find the complete reliance on Aisha
and her narrations by all the scholars of prophetic traditions, because her
narrations were narrate truthfully they were held in extremely high regard.
The number of traditions
that she narrates in totality is a massive two thousand two hundred and twenty
traditions.
Imam Az-Zarakshy say: “a
forth of the ruling of jurisprudence returns to her narrations”
She was a scholar in her
own right, and would pass religious edicts during the caliphate of Abu Bakr,
Umar and Uthmaan, they would all ask her for her opinions until she died in the
year 57H (after Migration)
So her marriage to the
Prophet was significant in terms of knowledge and its preservation, as the
Prophet would regularly mention her virtue over the Muslim nation, and so
served as a strake proof of his prophet hood and truth of his message.
4-
Hafsah the Daughter of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab may Allah be pleased with her.
Hafsah was married to
Bakhnees Bin Hudhaafa As-Sahmiyy who was from the first to migrate to the land
of Ethiopia. He also witnessed the Battle of Badr and died from the wounds he
suffered during the battle of Uhud. Umar saw it fit for her to get married and
so he took the proposal to Abu Bakr who remained silent then to Utmaan who’s
wife had died but Uthman said I have no desire to get married today. So this
feeling mulled in the heart of Umar until he mentioned it to the Prophet. The
Prophet then married her in the third year after the Migration, according to
the most correct of opinions.
Hafsah was a pious women
who would fast regularly and frequently pray, and so her marriage proved to be
a strengthening of the ties between her farther one of the most important
companions and the Messenger of Allah.
An indication of her
importance to all Muslims is that she was entrusted to keep with her the
handwritten copy of the entire Quran that was in book form.
5-
Zainab Bint Khuzaymah may
Allah be pleased with her.
She was called ‘the mother
of the poor’ because of her kind regard and concern for them. She was married
to Abdullah bin Jahsh who was martyred at Uhud, this before the Prophet married
her in the year four Hijri (four years after Migration). She would live with
him for four or five months before she herself died, may Allah be pleased with
her.
It was from the wisdom of
the Prophet that he married this women who was so mindful of the poor and their
needs and became widowed herself, but gained in her marriage to the Prophet the
honour of being his wife and being titled ‘a Mother of the Believers’.
6-
Umm Salamah Hind Bint Abi
Umayyah may Allah be pleased with her.
Umm Salamah was married to
Abdullah Bin Abdil Asad Al-Makhzoomy, with whom she had migrated with to
Ethiopia, he died after the Battle of Uhud and so she was widowed and had three
orphans, Salamah, Umar and Zainab. She was older then the Prophet who married
her in the year four Hijra.
From the wisdom of the
Prophet in marrying her was his concern for her orphaned children as well as
caring for a widow.
7-
Zainab Bint Jahsh may Allah
be pleased with her.
The Prophet even married
Zaid his adopted son to his cousin Zainab Bint Jahsh Al-Usdiyyah the mother of
whom is Umaymah bint Abdul Muattalib. The Prophet had adopted Zaid Ibn Haritha
may Allah be pleased with him, this after the Prophet had freed him from
slavery dignifying and honouring him, and was beloved to the Prophet, the Prophet
would call Usama the son of Zaid ‘The beloved son of the beloved’. Before Allah
prohibited the practice, it used to be said Zaid the son of Muhammed.
Zainab remained with Zaid
for a year or more before they faced difficulty in their marriage. When Zaid
came to complain to the Prophet he said to him “hold on to you wife and fear
Allah!” [Saheeh Muslim]
Despite the prophet knowing
from Allah that they would be divorced he did not inform Zaid, then a short
time later they were separated.
After this the command came
from Allah to the Messenger of Allah for him to marry Zainab who was previously
married to Zaid his adopted son before he divorced her, this was to destroy the
practice of adoption that was so deeply rooted in the Arab mindset.
The wisdom from this
blessed marriage was the abolition of the abhorrent practice of adoption that
was rooted in the Arabs. So her marriage served a great religious purpose may
Allah be pleased with her.
8-
Juwairiyyah Bint Al-Harith
may Allah be pleased with her.
Her farther al-Harih was
the leader of his people. She was among
the many captives from the Battle of Bani Mustaliq, her husband, Mustafa bin
Safwan, had been killed in the battle. She initially fell among the booty of
Muhammad's companion Thabit Bin Qays Bin Al-Shammas. Troubled by this,
Juwayriya sought a deed of redemption from Muhammad (pbuh) At the first
opportunity [after her capture] she went to the Prophet, and pleaded her case
with him in trying to set herself free by paying her own ransom. The Prophet
was moved by her sorrowful plea and asked her if she would like to live as a
free woman and be part of his household if he paid her ransom. She had never in
her dreams expected this offer. Moved deeply by this unexpected elevation in
her status, she exclaimed she would be more than happy to accept” this was in
the sixth year after Migration.
From
amongst the great benefits of her marriage to the Prophet was that it result
freed her from the bondage of Thabit bin Qais and consequently ameliorated the
condition of her captured tribe freeing all the prisoners of war Some time
later her father and all the men of her tribe who had been freed also accepted
Islam as their religion.
She
proclaimed her Islam in front of her farther and the Prophet gave her a dowry
of four hundred Dirham’s.
9- Umm Habibah Ramla Bint Abi Sufyaan may Allah be pleased with
her.
Umm Habibah had embraced
Islam in Mecca along with her husband, they then migrated to Abyssinia where he
apostated and separated from her. The Prophet upon hearing the news sent the
Negus of Abyssinia a proposal on his behalf as was the norm there, the king
embraced Islam and proposed on behalf of the Prophet paying her a dowry of four
hundred Dinar and gifting her many precious gifts on his behalf. When Umm
Habibah returned to Madinah the Prophet consummated his marriage with her and
this was in the seventh year after his migration.
When her farther Sufiyaan
who was from the most relentless enemies of the Prophet heard the news of what
the Prophet had done he praised him, and was the start of his eventual
embracing of Islam the year after when the Prophet returned and opened Mecca.
So from amongst the great wisdom of the Prophets marriage to Umm Habibah was to
reward her for her patience on her religion in spite of the huge setback that
was the apostasy of her husband who tried to convince her to apostate with him.
The Prophet also sought to compensate her for after she was left stranded in a
foreign land with her young daughter Habibah. And perhaps one of the more
significant benefits was that her marriage was the beginning of her father’s
embracing of Islam, after he saw what the Prophet had done for his daughter.
10-
Saffiyyah Bint Huyyay Bin Akhtab may Allah be pleased with her.
She was from the Children
of Israel, as she was from the Jews of Bani Nadeer and she was taken captive
after her husband was killed in the Battle of Khyber, she was a leading figure
in her community, the Prophet freed her and set the precedent that meant the
companions also freed their captives from war. The Prophet had given her the
choice of freeing her and keeping her as a wife or sending her back to her
family, to which she chose the former after believing in his message, this was
in the seventh year after the migration.
So from the distinct benefit
of her marriage to the prophet was:
a) The encouragement to free
the captives of war, and slaves.
b) An invitation to the Jews
to embrace Islam, and lessen their enmity to Islam
11-
Maymoonah Bint Al-Harith may Allah be pleased with her.
Maymoonah had been a widow
from the age of twenty-six after her husband died, and she wanted to be the
wife of the Messenger, so therefore Al-Abbas encouraged the Prophet to marry
her and he did, giving her a dowry of four hundred Dirham’s. This was in the
year seven after the migration of the Prophet.
Aisha used to say that: “by
Allah she was the most God-fearing of us all and the one most connected to her
ties of kinship”
So from the wisdom of the
Prophet in marrying her was to lift the difficulty of life as a widow in her
young age.
Also from the notable benefits
of her marriage was that she narrated forty-six prophetic traditions on the
Prophet.
In addition to his wives
the Prophet had two concubines from what his right hand possessed, the first
was Maria The Copt who was a Christian and given to him as a gift from
Al-Muqawqis, the Prophet had a son with her Ibrahim who died whilst still young
in Madinah during his lifetime.
The second was Rayhana Bint
Zaid Al-Quraydhiyah a Jewess and was from the concubines of the battle of Bani
Quraydha. Both of them embraced Islam and believed in his message.
From what we derive from
our brief study is that the wives of the Prophet were not all the same, we find
he married Arabs and non-Arabs like Safiyyah who was from the Children of
Israel, likewise we find they did not all belong to the same religion, we find
Safiyyah Bin Hayyay was a Jews and Maria was a Coptic Christian and Rayhana
Bint Zaid was a Jewess this is before they all embrace Islam.
We find that the Prophet
combined in his wives those who were from his tribe and those who were not, we
find he combined wives who were Jews and Christians with wives who were
Muslims, wives who were virgins with wives who were widows, wives who were rich
with wives who were poor, and this was all in facilitation of his message in
wiping out discrimination and racism, and so was yet another proof of his
Prophet hood.
One can divide his marital
life into four distinct parts:
1) The first stage: from his
birth till twenty-five years of age where the Prophet is not married but is
single pure and chaste.
2) The second stage: from
twenty five till fifty where he is happily married to Khadijah and does not
marry again until after her death
3) The third stage: from fifty
to sixty, where he marries a number of his wives for personal, social and
political reasons with great benefit emanating from those marriages.
4) The third stage; from sixty
to his death at sixty three and four days. The Prophet did not marry anyone
during this period applying the command of Allah on him:
“It is not lawful for you (to marry other) women
after this, nor to change them for other wives even though their beauty
attracts you, except those (captives or slaves) whom your right hand possesses.
And Allâh is Ever a Watcher over all things.” [Quran Chapter 33 Verse 52]
Despite the abrogation the
Prophet did not marry again rewarding them for choosing him Allah over the adornment
of this worldly life, after he had given them the choice, as demonstrated by
the Verse of the Choice:
“O Prophet (Muhammad pbuh)! Say
to your wives: If you desire the life of this world, and its glitter, Then
come! I will make a provision for you and set you free in a handsome manner
(divorce). But if you desire Allâh and His Messenger, and the home of
the Hereafter, then verily, Allâh has prepared for AlMuhsinât
(gooddoers) amongst you an enormous reward.” [Quran Chapter 33 Verse 28/29]
And with that in conclusion
we see that the Prophet marriages to numerous wives was for a far greater
reason and higher objective, as he gathered women of different types, statuses,
races and religions and live with all of them harmoniously which is again yet
another proof of his Prophet hood and the truth of his message.
*****
The Sermon on the Farewell
Pilgrimage yet another poof of his Prophet hood. And indications of his
inevitable death (pbuh).
A) The Farewell Pilgrimage
The job of spreading the
message of Islam was at its last stage, and the Prophet was successful in
building a new society base on the Lordship of Allah and the rejection of all
other deities and on the foundations built around the teachings of Muhammed
(pbuh).
When the process of Prophet
hood was nearing the end with Islam prevailing, the imminent signs of the
Prophets inevitable farewell started to show in his statements and in his
actions:
1) He remained secluded in the
Mosque for a period of twenty days when it use to be his norm to remain there
for ten days, this was in the tenth year after the Migration.
2) The Angel Gabriel recited
upon him the holy Qur’an Twice when every other year he would only recite it to
him once, it was of course in Ramadan that the holy Qur’an was initially
revealed to Muhammed (pbuh).
3) The statement of the Prophet to Mu’adh when sending him to
The Yemen,: "Perhaps, Mu'adh, you may not meet me after
this year,
but perhaps, you may pass this mosque of mine
and my grave."
Mu'adh wept from grief over the departure of
Allah's Messenger (peace
be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him)
then turned facing Medina
and said,
"Those nearest to
me are the pious, whoever they are and whenever they are."
4) His statement on the
Farewell Pilgrimage; “ I do not know, perhaps I will never again see you in the
standing place ever again”
5) His statement while stoning
the Large Pillar of Aqabah: “take from me your rites as I do not know perhaps I
will not perform the pilgrimage after this year”.
That the chapter ‘ The
Help’ in the Quran was revealed to him.
“When comes the Help of Allâh (to you, O Muhammad
(Peace be upon him) against your enemies) and the conquest (of Makkah). And you
see that the people enter Allâh's religion (Islâm) in crowds. So glorify the
Praises of your Lord, and ask for His Forgiveness. Verily, He is the One Who
accepts the repentance and forgives.”
[Quran Chapter 110] this was in the last
days of Hajj.
In what we have shown there
were clear indications and signs that indicated that the Prophet was beginning
his departure from this Earth and it was noticed by the most attentive of his
companions, he had long strived to arrive at the truth, a testament to him and
the words that he uttered not from himself rather from what was inspired to him
from Allah. So the subtle signs and indications the he gave of his death proved
correct, along with those acts of farewell that he took part in.
Allah wanted for his
Prophet that he see the fruits of his efforts, that he had long strived to
achieve and so he gathered the leader of the tribes in Mecca and they took from
him the ruling of the religion and he would take their covenant that he had
passed on to them the trust, and had conveyed the message.
The Prophet made his
positions clear on this farewell pilgrimage, ‘the Hajj of Islam’ as it was
known he did not perform another Hajj after it.
The Muslims gathered on the
Hajj like they had done so never before, over one hundred and twenty four
thousand or forty four thousand of them
performed the pilgrimage seeking to be led by their beloved Prophet, imagine
the picture that Allah showed him of the fruits from a completed mission, one
hundred thousand believers and more all calling One Lord, coming from differing
places seeking to have the leadership of the Prophet and his nearness on the
pilgrimage. All of this after he had been chased out of his beloved birth place
Mecca by the Polytheists, who threatened to kill him.
Yet here is the Prophet
just a few years later lifting the banner of Monotheism high, on the most
blessed of all places, Mecca, establishing the state of Islam based on the
worship of one Lord and the application of his Laws, all of this in the space
of a few years like the tenure of a king or a president, within a period of
twenty three years he witnessed the victory of Allah for his religion, and so
was a further proof of his Prophet hood and the truth of his religion.
B) From the amazing subtle coincidences, on the
Farewell Pilgrimage.
1) The ‘day of Hajj’ the ninth day of
Dhul-Hijjah (the twelfth month in the Islamic Calendar) coincided with the day
of Friday, which for the Muslims is the holiest day of the week and treated
like an Enid.
On the Day of Arafah the
mercy of Allah descends on all of those present at Arafah and on this blessed
day Allah revealed to his Prophet:
“This day, I have perfected your religion for you,
completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islâm as your
religion. ” [Quran Chapter 5 Verse 3]
1) That the Pilgrimage of the
Prophet took place after the ‘House of Allah’ the Ka’bah had been purified, of
the idols and statues that the Polytheists used to worship, there used to be
over three hundred different statues.
This was after the previous
year the ninth after the Migration, when the Prophet sent Abu Bakr to lead a
contingent of the Believers wherein one of them proclaimed “ no polytheist is
to perform the Hajj after this year and no one is to circumambulate around the
Ka’bah naked”
This was in fact a call
that bought about the end of Idolatry in the Arabian Peninsular.
Then came the year for the
Hajj of the Prophet (pbuh) and the fulfilment of his Prophet hood as a sign to
all, the truth of his message.
C-
- The Sermon of the Prophet on the Day of Arafah and his counsel regarding
women.
Here we would like to look
in more detail as it concerns the topic at hand, in addition to what we alluded
to earlier as a proof of his prophet hood.
The sermon delivered by the
Prophet on the Day of Arafah was an all-inclusive advice, comprising of every
virtue and guiding to that which is correct. From what he said on that day is:
‘O people: fear Allah in regard to your women,
verily you owe your women their rights, and they owe you yours. Remember that you have taken them as your wives
only under Allah's trust and with His permission. They may not lay with another men in your beds,
let anyone into your houses you do not want without your permission, or commit
indecency. If they do, Allah has given you leave to debar them, send them
from your beds, or [finally] strike them in a way that does no harm. But
if they desist, and obey you, then you must provide for them and clothe them
fittingly. The women who live with you are like captives, unable to
manage for themselves: you took them as a trust from Allah, and enjoyed their
sex as lawful through a word [legal ruling] from Allah. So fear Allah in
respect to women, and concern yourselves with their welfare for verily, I have
left among you that which if you take it, you will never stray after me: the
Book of Allah. Have I given the message? – O Allah, be my witness.
[Narrated Muslim]
So we see
the Prophet raising the status of women after they were debased in society. He
was always occupied with their affairs always concerned of their rights. Even
as he was dying some of his final words were “ the Prayer! The Prayer! And what
your right hand possesses.” [Narrated Bukhari]
So he
combined the mentioning of Prayer the highest act of worship with the
mentioning of women, in order for people to take heed.
Never before
had women enjoyed such respect as they had in the Shareeah of the Prophet
(pbuh), as they had been guaranteed their rights and given status and respect,
proving yet again another decisive proof of his prophet hood and the truth of
his message.
*****
The Verse: “Say (O Muhammad SAW):"I am not a new thing among the Messengers
(of Allah) (i.e. I am not the first Messenger)” [Quran Chapter 46 Verse 9]
The verse indicates: that
the Messenger of Allah was not but a single Prophet in a line of many Prophets,
nor was he bringing a new doctrine, he was instead just following through what
was inspired to him from Allah.
a)
The origins of his call.
We find that the Prophet was not the first Prophet
that Allah sent to Human kind, so his message could not be rejected for being
something new.
Instead we find Allah had sent thousands of
Prophets before the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) to every people, they all called to
one message, of singling out Allah as the only One deserving of praise and
worship, not associating any other in his Lordship and respecting his Law and
boundaries, that he Allah is the sole Creator, Sustainers and Provider of all
things.
The religion with Allah has always been Islam,
Islam meaning the act of total submission to Allah, and so no Prophet was sent
except with the doctrine of Islam even though their legal systems may have
differed.
The Arabs did not have an issue recognising the
Lordship of Allah they knew he was their Lord, their disbelief revolved around not recognizing his
unity in being worshipped, as they used to associate partners with him in the
forms of idols and statues.
They therefore rejected
the Message of the Prophet, as they knew it would mean their power being usurped,
and they would be made to be humble to Allah showing humility.
They knew that the
Prophet had bought that which was bought before him by the succession of
prophets that came before him.
b) His following through
of the commands of Allah;
As we have shown the
Prophet was not bringing a message unknown to human kind nor was he bringing a
new doctrine, he was also not bringing something from within himself.
This is best
demonstrated by his fulfilling of the command of Allah when Allah ordered him
to marry Zainab the divorced wife of Zaid his previously adopted son. Allah
commanded:
“So when Zaid had accomplished his desire from her
(i.e. divorced her), We gave her to you in marriage” [Quran Chapter 33 Verse
37]
This marriage facilitated the abolition of the
practice of adoption and put an end to the evils that result from it.
1- The Prophets marriage to
Khadijah who was in her forties while he was only twenty-five, was his first
marriage and she mothered for him both girls and boys.
2-
He then followed his
first marriage with his second to Sawdah may Allah be pleased with her this was
in the month of Shawwal in the tenth year of his Prophet hood, she had already
been married before.
3-
Thereafter he married
Aisha the daughter of Abu Bakr may Allah be pleased with them both. This was in
the eleventh year after prophet hood, and two years before the Migration
4-
He followed that by
marrying Hafsa may Allah be please with her, the daughter of Umar Ibn
Al-Khattab, this was in the third year after Migration.
5-
He married Zainab may
Allah be please with her next, in the forth year after Migration, after her
husband was martyred at the battle of Uhud she was known as ‘the mother of the
poor’ because of her mercy toward them. She died just two months after her
marriage to the Prophet.
6-
Next her married Umm
Salamah Hind may Allah be please with her this was in Shawwal in the fourth
year after Migration, this after her husband died leaving her widowed.
This mean that his marriage to Zainab Bint Jahsh may Allah be please with
her, was his fifth if you consider the deaths of both Khadijah and Zainab. Then
after the marriage of Zainab Al-Usdiyyah he married:
1-
Juwayriyyah Bint
Al-Haarith may Allah be please with her in the month of Sha’baan in the year
six after Migration, after she was captive from the Battle of Bani Mustaliq.
2-
The Prophet then
married Umm Habibah Ramlah Bint Abi Sufiyaan may Allah be please with her in
the seventh year after Migration, after her husband migrated to Abyssinia and
apostated and died there.
3-
The prophet then married
Saffiyyah Bin Huyyay may Allah be please with her who was from the Children of
Israel after she had embraced Islam; this was shortly after the Opening of
Mecca in the seventh year after the Migration.
4-
He then married
Maymoonah Bint Al-Haarith, which was also in the seventh year after Migration
in the month of Dhul-Qi’dah.
These were all his wives that he consummated with and with some of them
he had children, two of whom died during his lifetime and he left nine of them
behind after his death. There were two others that he had a marriage contract
with but did not consummate with.
As from war, then Rayhanna was from the captives of the Battle of Bani
Quraydha and Maria the Copt was gifted to him from Al-Muqawqis.
However, none of his marriages were as controversial as his marriage to
Zainab Bint Jahsh, and he was attacked because of his marriage to her by the
hypocrites who professed Islam outwardly but remained disbelievers in their
hearts; they contested his marriage on the following grounds:
1)
That he had married the
wife of his adopted son Zaid after he had divorced her.
2)
That he married her
whilst only allowing the Muslims to marry four wives at any one time.
What is important to note, is that the Prophet knew the opposition he
would face from the hypocrites and the likes of them, and yet he followed
through with the command of Allah, and it was not befitting of the Prophet
other than to follow the command of Allah. And his blessed biography is
littered with example of this obedience.
Never before had the biography of any prophet been documented in the
manner the biography of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) was documented, both before
his prophet hood and especially after it, so that who ever wanted to see who he
was (pbuh) was able to in all time, a biography that shows that he did not ever
lie and is a certain proof of his prophet hood.
Likewise we find the biographies of his companions also preserved and the
notables of those that followed the companions and then those that followed
them, we find an entire science dedicated to the preservation and narration of
the Prophets traditions, and that is no surprise as they took it upon
themselves to preserve the words of their Prophet and his Lord for all
generations that were to follow, knowing that the Messenger of Allah was the
Final Prophet of Allah and that his Shareeah was the message from Allah to his
slaves.
Allah said in confirmation of this: “Let there arise out of you a group of people
inviting to all that is good (Islâm), enjoining Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islâmic
Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do) and forbidding Al-Munkar (polytheism
and disbelief and all that Islâm has forbidden). And it is they who are the
successful.”
[Quran Chapter 3 Verse 104]
“You [true believers in
Islâmic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad SAW and
his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up
for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that
Islâm has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all
that Islâm has forbidden), and you believe in Allâh”
[Quran Chapetr 3 Verse 110]
So Allah preserved the saying and actions of his Prophet like he
preserved his own word in the Book, a Book that is the lasting miracle of the
Prophet, a miracle so great that the entire human race was challenged and was
unable to bring a single chapter like it, this is aside from the great secrets
in the Quran that in only modern times we have discovered, scientific miracles
that are in the word of Allah and the words of his Messenger.
Therefore the miracle that are related to the knowledge of the unseen
have a far greater impact on humans then the miracle that can be sensed like
the miracles that are seen by the eye for example, that is why it was only
right that the Children of Adam believe in their Prophets when they are shown
these great Miracles.
Allah decreed in his infinite wisdom that he was not to send another
Prophet after Muhammed (pbuh), despite him sending many Prophets to the
Children of Israel.
-
they would kill their
Prophets and belie their signs and disbelieve in their miracles, so they were
in continuous need of Prophets from Allah to guide them in their religious
affairs. This after Allah had preferred them by sending them numerous Prophets,
but they were not trustworthy recipient of their Messengers often changing
their Scriptures and disbelieving in their Prophets, so Allah sent the Prophet
with a different approach to the pure message of Islam.
-
They would alter and
distort their Holy Scriptures like the Bible and Torah of the Christians and
the Jews.
-
Never was a Prophet
sent to them except with a miracle that was limited to those who saw it and
were present with the Prophet at the time of the miracle, as for the miracle of
the Prophet Muhammed it was an eternal miracle the Miracle of The Holy Qur’an,
this is because he is the Prophet of all people and all times so his miracle
reflected that.
-
Never did Allah burden
the believers of the previous Prophets with the responsibility of calling to
his religion and spreading it as Allah was continuously sending them prophets,
however the followers of the Prophet Muhammed have been commanded to spread his
message, as there is no other religion that is to follow Islam nor any Prophet
who will follow Muhammed (pbuh).
-
In addition to the
alteration of their books, they bought ruin to the correct creed by introducing
the worship of Idols to their traditions, or taking their holy men as Gods
beside Allah, like the Jews who’s Rabbi’s would permit what Allah prohibit and
prohibit what Allah had permitted, they would say despicable things about Allah
like that he took the angels as daughters, or like the Christians said that he
took Jesus as his son. And the deviant beliefs among tem were plenty especially
when the period between Prophets being sent to them was long.
-
Yet in this period with
all of this confusion Allah sent his Messenger with a pure creed.
-
The Prophet came and
abolished the worship of idols and statues and everything worshiped other then
Allah.
-
He purified the first
House place on Earth for the Worship of Allah, purifying it from the filth that
was Idols place in and around it.
-
He came to sanctify the
name of Allah after people had claimed that Allah took the angels as daughters
and that he took Eesa (Jesus) as he begotten son.
-
He (pbuh) came also to
magnify and praise the station of the prophets after the Jews had bought into
disrepute the name of Eesa, describing him in the most despicable of ways.
As Allah says;
“(Remember) when the angels said: "O Maryam
(Mary)! Verily, Allâh gives you the glad tidings of a Word ["Be!" -
and he was! i.e. 'Iesa (Jesus) the son of Maryam (Mary)] from Him, his name
will be the Messiah 'Iesa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), held in honour in
this world and in the Hereafter, and will be one of those who are near to
Allâh." [Quran Chapter 3 Verse 45]
Allah also said: “The Messiah ['Iesa (Jesus)], son of Maryam (Mary),
was no more than a Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before
him.” [Quran Chapter 5
Verse 75]
and after the Jews described Maryam (Mary) using the most heinous of
words.
As Allah says:
“And Maryam (Mary), the
daughter of 'Imrân who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into (the sleeve
of her shirt or her garment) through Our Rûh [i.e. Jibrael (Gabriel)],
and she testified to the truth of the Words of her Lord [i.e. believed in the
Words of Allâh: "Be!" and he was; that is 'Iesa (Jesus) son of
Maryam (Mary); as a Messenger of Allâh], and (also believed in) His Scriptures,
and she was of the Qanitîn (i.e. obedient to Allâh).”
[Quran Chapter 66 Verse 12]
-
Indeed the Prophet
(pbuh) bought the clearest of all creeds and the best of all Sahreeah and he
himself was the best of all husbands, the best of all teachers and nurtures,
until the Day of Judgment. May Allah send his peace and blessings on this most
trustworthy of people, the one sent to the entirety of human kind.
c- There were Prophets who married far more time
then the marriage of the Prophet (pbuh)
It is surprising that
those who have animosity to the religion of Allah and to Allah’s Messenger
attacking him personally on the issue of his multiple marriages do this,
knowing full well that there are Prophets before him who had married far in
excess of the number of wives he married.
-
the Prophet Dawud (
David ) had a hundred free ladies to himself.
-
The Prophet Sulaymaan
(Solomon) who Allah endowed Kingship as well as prophet hood, it is reported in
fact in the Torah itself that he married seven hundred free women and three
hundred from the women who were slaves. This is just an indication of the great
virtue Allah place over his Prophets.
It is unsurprising then because of their heedlessness concerning the
prophets of old that they so vehemently attacked the Last of Allah’s
Messengers.
So in summary:
-
Allah chose his
Prophets and gave the bounties that were specific dispensations for them alone.
-
That Allah choose what
He like for who He likes, and an example of that is his remittance for the
Messenger of Allah to take eleven wives, while at the same time prohibiting the
believers from exceeding more then four wives.
From the previous points the following becomes clear;
That the Messenger of Allah
was but a single Prophet in a line of many Prophets, and that the religion was
he bringing was not a new doctrine, he was instead just following through what
was inspired to him from Allah. So everything that he did was in the
application of Allah’s rules and the clarification of those rules for the whole
of human kind.
And every man of intellect
should see that his multiple marriage were nothing, other then a sign of his
prophet hood and a confirmation of the truth in his Message. May the peace and
blessings of Allah be forever upon him.
******
In Conclusions;
It is clear from our
discussion that Islam with its upright code of practice did not come to
eradicate the desires of man and the natural instinct that he was created with,
but rather it came to guide and direct it to what is right according to what
Allah Almighty revealed and was pleased with for his slaves.
Allah for that reason
allowed for men to get married and if need be get married multiple time, where
there is need and great benefit that results in the institution that is
marriage, provided he does not go beyond the restriction to four wives.
Likewise at the same time
Allah gave special dispensation to his Prophet Muhammed to marry in excess of
what the believers were permitted to marry like the prophets before him had
married numerous times, this was owing to his greater status as a Prophet of
Allah. We also learned the great benefits that resulted from the marriages of
the Prophet (pbuh), none greater then his marriages being in itself a proof of
his Prophet hood.
His marriages testified
that he was of truly noble characteristics and mannerisms.
These characteristics were
also recognised by respected thinker and scholars in the West both before his
prophet hood and after it, in the field of teaching, preaching , politicising ,
commanding armies, judging as well as his more personal role as a son, a loving
husband, a farther, a grandfather a family man and above all a human.
From among their testimonies
is;
Lamartine- the famous writer,
poet and historian said : "It
is impossible for anyone who studies the life and character of the great prophet
of Arabia, who knows how he taught and how he live, to feel anything but
reverence for that mighty Prophet, one of the great messengers of the Supreme.
And although in what I put to you I shall say many things which may be familiar
to many, yet I myself feel whenever I re-read them, a new way of admiration, a
new of reverence for that mighty Arabian teacher. [Lamartine, Historic de la
Turquie, Paris 1854, Vol. 11 pp. 276-2727]
There are numerous other
examples of these notable commentators praising him (pbuh) and like it is said
“truth is what even your enemies attest to”. May the blessing of Allah be upon
his Prophet, the seal of the Prophets.
******
An Open Letter.
It is upon us that we
recognise:
That once it has been absolutely
proven beyond any doubt the Prophet hood of Muahmmed, through his miracles and
the proofs that we have shown in our discourse, then it is a must mean only one
thing he was inspired by Allah.
In addition to that point
every one of his statements and actions therefore have rulings and great benefits
that are derived from them, and the scholars are charged with the
responsibility of extracting these rules and benefits, as Allah said :
“so ask the people of the Reminder [Scriptures - the
Taurât (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel)] if you do not know.” [Quran Chapter 21 Verse 7]
Allah said:
“Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only
an Inspiration that is inspired.”
[Quran Chapter 53 Verses 3-5]
Therefore this further
means that everything that he done was permissible for him, in light of the Law
that was given to him. There is no need to listen then to the claims of his
detractors, claims that are not built upon facts but rather plain conjecture
born out of animosity and hatred.
Islam is without any doubt
the religion of truth. Had it been otherwise it would have disappeared just as
quickly as it appeared, it is like a light that is forever putting out darkness
as everything in it is truth, and what is after truth but falsehood?
Muhammed (pbuh) is therefore
the Prophet of truth, who did not say or do anything except what was inspired
to him, and Allah is his defender both during his life and after his death.
Islam is still spreading as
we speak, and people are embracing it in every part of the world.
It is incumbent on us then
to:
1) hold firm to the Book of
Allah, the book that was revealed to the Prophet (pbuh) and to memorise it in
our hearts and to perfect its recital, to expand and study upon its vast
meanings, to understand it a correct understanding, to appreciate those thing
that were mentioned in it concerning the unseen world, to learn the miraculous
nature of the scientific miracles uniquely in the book, miracles that are only
now being discovered, and perhaps most importantly to apply it in our lives in
our worship and daily transactions, and apply its law in every small and big
issue. Until it is said about us as it was said about the Prophet “ his
mannerisms was the Qur’an”
2) know that Allah has taken
the responsibility to protect the traditions of the Messenger of Allah, through
the efforts of the scholars of the science of narration, who place stringent
rules and regulations on the narration and acceptance of his traditions. A
science that is unique to the Muslims. We should also appreciate the many
prophecies that he foretold of in those traditions, and the scientific miracles
that are in his traditions also, miracles that no one learned or ignorant has
ever denied and can deny , some of them occurring eight hundred years after his
death. For he was not uttering from unto himself it was but revelation inspired
to him.
Abdullah Bin Amr Bin Al-Aas narrates: “ One day while
we were sitting with the Prophet of Allah (pbuh) writing when a man asked; ‘
which of the two cities will be opened first Constantinople or Rome?’ so the
Prophet replied the city of Heraclius with be opened first (meaning
Constantinople) [Narrated Ahmed]
Constantinople
is modern day Istanbul, which fell to the Muslim at the hands Muhammed
Al-Faatih in the year 857H, it was then ordered that the Islamic Call of Prayer
be announced in the Cathedral of Sophia turning it from a cathedral to a
mosque, it was the seat of orthodoxy like the Vatican is for Catholicism, and
with the fall of this city the Byzantine civilisation also fell. And Istanbul
became the seat and powerhouse to the Ottoman Caliphate. And so we see modern
day Turkey a country in Europe testifying to the truth of the Prophet (pbuh).
With the will of Allah the city of Rome, Italy will also fall to Islam, in
affirmation of the message of the Prophet of Islam.
Perhaps the second opening
mentions in the prophetic traditions will bring with it a return to the Noble
Caliphate, like the Prophet said:
"The prophet-hood will last as long as Allah
(S.W.T.) is willing, then he will lift it. Then, a rightly guided Khilafah will
be according to the prophet’s way and will last as long as Allah is willing,
then Allah will lift it. Then, there will be a hereditary power that will last
as long as Allah is willing, and then Allah will lift it. Then, there will be
dictatorships that will last as long as Allah is willing, and then Allah will
lift it. Then, there will be a Khilafah according to the prophet’s way. The
prophet, then fell silent."
[Authentic Hadith reported by Imams Ahmad, Al-Bazar
and At-Tabrani.]
Anyone who looks at this
tradition will note the truth of his Prophecy, by following the stages that are
mentioned in the narrations, indeed after prophet hood there was Caliphate on
the methodology of the Prophet, then from the rule of Mu’awiyah was the beginning
of hereditary power leading to the Abbasid ere.
3- it is upon us to recognise that he is the Messenger
of truth and there for accept everything he said and ordered us to do, as after
him being sent Allah will not accept any other religion but his.
4- We must read his biography,
looking at the different milestones that passed during his time extracting the
vast benefits that there are in it.
5- Learn and act upon his
authentic traditions as have been narrated on him.
6- Follow his way in
everything, starting with those thing that are obligatory
7- Seek to emulate him in
everything up to even every one of his likes and dislikes.
8- Know his noble character
and descriptions, before his prophet hood and after it.
9- Know his position in regard
of his wives and how he treated them, his companions and his neighbours.
10- Know his virtues and the
things that were specific to him.
11- Spread this knowledge by
printing books of his biography in foreign languages and distributing them at
missionaries and libraries all over the world.
12- Refuting the western media
led campaigns against his prophet hood by clarifying the misconceptions.
13- Using the mediums of the
satellite, radio and magazine distributions in order to let the world know
about the religion of Islam and its Prophet (pbuh), in different languages
especially English.
14- Setting up websites on the
World Wide Web, that specialise in his Prophetic traditions, and especially in
the English language.
Using every means at our disposal in order to give
victory to this religion, and to the Prophet of this religion Muhammed (pbuh),
the Prophet who was chosen to be the Last and Seal of all the Prophets of
Allah.
O’ Allah send your peace
and blessing upon Muhammed the Prophet and seal of the Prophets and Messengers,
and peace and blessings be upon his wives and his purified household and his
blessed companions, and all those who were guided from his guidance, and emulated
his way, and followed his traditions till the Day of Judgement.
******
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